Memoirs of a Diva: Book Three: A New Phase
by punkydiva17
Summary: *Story Completed* Rinoa and Shane are happily married. Their first year also marks a landmark change in the WWF and the struggles from the year before. Read and review.
1. Mrs McMahon

**Chapter One: Mrs. McMahon**

Rinoa Fielder-McMahon rolled, a soft smile crossing her face when she saw Shane sleeping beside her. She examined the ring on her finger. The night before had been magical, and the happiness that overtook her was almost overwhelming. She still hadn't come down from the euphoric high that she had experienced the night before. Her dreams had come true; she was reigning in 2002 as the wife of Shane Brandon McMahon, and it was a feeling so surreal that she was still sure that she was dreaming. She shifted her body closer to her husband's and wrapped an arm around him, resting her head on his chest. She felt him stir. His flesh was warm against her cheek as she rested comfortably, unable to keep the smile from her delicate features. She felt his hands ruffling through her hair and she could sense him staring down at her. She just closed her eyes and pressed herself closer to him. These were the simple moments in her life that she had found herself living for.

Rinoa hadn't told Vince or anything, but she was pretty sure she was thinking of retiring from in-ring competition as a result of what had happened with Kurt Angle. She still had anxiety issues whenever she and Shane went backstage, always worried about the possibility of running into Kurt Angle. She knew it would be a while before she'd get back to normal, but she even found that being alone in her house now was something that bothered her. Everything just made her so uneasy.

Shane exhaled; he was so afraid that he had almost lost her when everything had happened last year. It had been hard for them to get past it and resume some kind of a normal life. Watching her suffer with her memories was too much for him to take some nights, but she seemed to be getting better and better. The entire situation had been a nightmare. He couldn't shake the burden of guilt that had pressed down on his soul. He worked as hard as he could to make things up to Rinoa, and to distract himself – and even Rinoa – from the guilt that he felt. She wanted Shane to get his feelings out, too, and she was begging him to come along to a therapy session or two with her when she had the time. He knew that it was a great idea; that it was for the best for Rinoa if it was what she wanted. Anything to work through everything with her. After the rape he had dropped everything and had instantly moved her into his New York home without telling anybody but his parents. He knew that keeping her in her old home with her memories was just too much. He couldn't ask her to stay knowing that every time she had looked into the rooms, all she could see was that day. People questioned Shane for moving her in so fast with him, and had even been skeptical that they had gotten married so quickly, but to him, it was anything to try and keep her mind away from what had happened. \

He sighed; Stephanie had been upset when she had found out that they had moved without telling her, and there just wasn't any way to make her understand that he was doing what was best for Rinoa. He just couldn't risk Kurt Angle finding out where Rinoa was located. He almost felt like his wife was in witness protection or something, having to be so secretive about their location.

His eyes gazed down at the top of her head. Last night had been almost like a dream. She had looked so beautiful, dressed in that flowing white gown, the snowflakes falling in her hair. There wasn't a trace of the pain she had endured in the last few months on her face as she had made her way down towards him, with her father giving her away. He smiled softly.

"I know you're awake, beautiful," he said softly. She just curled up to him tighter.

"I don't care. It doesn't mean I'm moving," she grumbled. He laughed softly.

"You looked beautiful last night," he replied, laying his head back against the headboard.

"You looked pretty sharp yourself," she informed him. She sighed, stretching out. "Do I have to move?" she asked. He laughed, shaking his head.

"Not right now," he told her.

"Do you have to move?"

"Not right now. But my flight leaves tonight." He wrapped his arm around her and held onto her. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Sore," she confessed. "It was a long night last night." He laughed.

"I didn't hear you complaining," he told her, kissing the top of her head.

"I wasn't." He smiled. She had surprised him last night by almost attacking him the instant they returned home. It had definitely surprised him. After the attack, he couldn't really touch her without her body tensing up, without her mind flashing back to what happened. And it had hurt him a lot. He had felt like he failed her in the ultimate way by not being there for her when he needed her the most. He had spent the last six months going out of his way to prove to her that he could still be there for her, but even in the back of his mind, he knew that there was no way to make up for failing her the way that he had. But she refused to hold him responsible, and it made him feel worse. He still wrestled with his guilt, even though it was starting to ease up; however, some days were worse than others. Shane was determined not to lose her over something like this, and he hadn't pushed the sex issue with her. He would have crawled through hell over an acre of scalding, broken glass to make sure that she was all right. She was aware of that, but she still didn't know how to ease his guilt.

"What are you thinking about, Shane-O?" she asked, her tone soft. He stroked her hair.

"I'm thinking about how funny it is that Dad didn't want us marrying wrestlers, and Steph and I both did it." She laughed. Vince hadn't been too happy to learn that Shane was dating Rinoa; however, Rinoa had been recovering from neck surgery as a result of Kurt Angle's attack, and just couldn't take it out on her. She smirked.

"I can't imagine Vince is still all that happy about us." He chuckled.

"He likes you, Rinoa. Scratch that – he loves you. He said out of all the Divas I could have gotten stuck with, I managed to pick a good one." She laughed.

"Trish would have been a little awkward, huh?" Shane groaned.

"Can we not talk about that?" Rinoa sat up, placing a kiss on his lips.

"And what if I don't listen? What if I want to talk about Trish?" she asked, her emerald eyes wide in curiosity. He smirked and started tickling her ribs. "Shane!" she laughed.

"We're not going there, are we?" he asked as she writhed underneath him, laughing as his fingers moved briskly along her ribcage. "Are we?"

"Fuck off, Shane!"

"That's not choice language for a lady," he teased. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. He stopped tickling her. "Come on, Mrs. McMahon...let's go get breakfast." She smiled and got out of bed, dressed in nothing more than a pair of white boyshorts and one of Shane's old jersey from WrestleMania X-Seven. He groaned.

"Rinoa, you're killing me over here."

"I didn't say you had to stay over there," she replied coyly, disappearing into the bathroom. He heard the shower turn on. That was it. He was sold. Throwing the blankets back, he followed her into the bathroom.


	2. Dinner with the In Laws

**Chapter Two: Dinner with the In-Laws**

Rinoa stood at the airport, a smile on her face. She was sad to see him go, but she knew that he needed to make the presentation in Italy. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white sweater, a denim jacket over top. She was standing in the middle of the airport, holding Shane tightly. He smiled. "I'll be back in a week, Rinoa," he laughed. "You're making it seem like I'm going away forever." She pulled herself back from his embrace and smiled. "I'll call you tonight, beautiful."

"I'll be waiting," she replied with a smile. He gave her a quick kiss and readjusted his bag. "I love you."

"Love you, too, beautiful," he replied. She blew him a kiss as he disappeared. She waited until he was completely out of sight before leaving the airport, stopping to sign an autograph here and there for a couple fans. She made her way back to her car and climbed into the driver's seat. Her first therapy session was in two days. She thought about not going home, instead driving out to Vince's house for dinner. Linda and Vince had told her she was more than welcome to come out and visit them whenever Shane was on the road.

She started the car and pulled out of the airport. She was going to make the drive to Connecticut and visit her in-laws. She didn't want to be home alone at the moment. She stared at the ring on her finger. A wide smile crossed her features.

"Rinoa!" Linda couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice as she opened the door to see Rinoa. "What are you doing here?"

"Shane left, so I thought I'd come and visit, if that's okay." Linda nodded; she understood. She stepped to the side and Rinoa entered the McMahon house. She looked around. "Where's Vince?"

"Jeremy called; it looks like the WWF lawsuit is going into a new phase." Rinoa nodded. Jeremy McDevitt was the WWF attorney, and they were currently battling for rights over who would possess the WWF acronym. "He'll be back for dinner tonight. Did you want to help me get it ready?"

"What are we making?"

"I was thinking spaghetti and meatballs. It's been forever since I've had time to cook." Linda and Rinoa laughed and made their way into the kitchen. "So, how come you didn't go with Shane to Italy? That would have been the perfect time for a honeymoon." Rinoa shook her head.

"I've got the therapist's appointment in two days, and he's got the presentation in Italy, followed by the deal presentation in Latin America." She shook her head. "I would have loved to go with him, but we both know he'd be consumed with his work either way." Linda nodded.

"He's a lot like his father that way," Linda replied. "Both of them are so consumed with their work." She began to pull out vegetables, hamburger, tomato sauce, tomato paste and spaghetti noodles. "So, who's the doctor you're seeing?"

"Marilyn Salinas."

"I've heard of her," Linda replied. "I've heard she's pretty good." Rinoa nodded. "How have you been otherwise?"

"I've been all right," Rinoa confessed. "I'm really going to miss Shane while he's gone." Linda smiled. "What was it like when you and Vince got married?"

Linda smiled. "It was great. I guess you know how it is; when you meet the one you want to spend your life with." She nodded. "He and I worked ourselves crazy to get control of the WWF from his father."

"How did you manage to do that?"

"It wasn't very easy. Vince's father didn't want him having anything to do with the business. Much like Vince didn't want Shane and Stephanie in on this."

"Really?"

"Vince at least wanted the kids to at least have the chance at something else. But this business is in our blood. It would have been ridiculous for the kids to think of anything otherwise. They went to school, worked part time for us, got their degrees and everything, and just found a niche in the company with us."

"Do you enjoy working with the kids?"

"Of course," Linda replied, handing Rinoa some celery to chop. She began to chop up an onion. "Vince does, too. This is a business that doesn't normally afford you the opportunity to work with your children, or see them on a regular basis. So the fact that we're all together says so much."

"You said Vince's father didn't want him getting the company. How did you guys manage to get control of it?"

"We convinced him that we had a huge line of investors lined up." She smiled. "Vince had a vision for this company. And I think he's done an incredible job." Rinoa nodded in agreement as she took some peppers to cut. "And I know the day that we decide to step down, Shane and Stephanie are going to be more than competent to take over for us." Rinoa nodded, smiling. "I don't think I've ever seen Shane so happy, Rinoa."

"I didn't think it was possible for anybody to make me so happy," Rinoa replied as Linda began to make the meatballs. Rinoa began to cut up some carrots.

"He was really afraid of losing you, Rinoa," Linda told her. Rinoa nodded.

"I was scared of losing him," she answered. "It's not a smooth sail in a relationship when...that...happens." Linda nodded. Vince had put Kurt Angle on "injured" leave and sent him to a psychiatric facility to get examined. The truth was, with the criminal case seemingly stalled, Vince wanted an excuse to get Kurt away from both Stephanie and Rinoa.

The door opened and Vince trudged into the house. He entered the kitchen and smiled when he saw Rinoa. "Hello, Rinoa," he said, stopping to give his wife a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Shane's on his flight to Italy," Rinoa replied, "so I thought that I'd come out for dinner."

"How's things going with the Wildlife Fund?" Linda asked. Vince's face darkened.

"It looks like we just might have to change the name." Vince sighed. "Within the next week or so, I think we're going to have to start coming up with a new name, new logo, and everything." He sighed.

"That sucks, Vince," Rinoa replied. Vince laughed.

"Tell me about it, Rinoa," he told her. "You can call me Dad, you know." She nodded, a blush crossing her face. Linda put the meatballs in the oven and put the water on. "I talked to Stephanie, she might be joining us for dinner as well."

"Hunter too?" Linda asked, but the look on Vince's face told the women that it was not a good idea to bring up Stephanie's marriage at dinner.

"Things that bad?" Rinoa asked. Vince nodded.

"The thing about Stephanie, Rinoa, is that she likes to be in control," Vince replied. "When she isn't in control, is when things fall apart. Hunter is a driven man. He wants to be in control as well. This entire thing is a matter of communication between two people who are stricken with power. It'll either turn out or it won't." Rinoa nodded.

"Still...I am sorry to hear it."

"Stephanie and Hunter are adults," Vince informed her, "whatever happens is on them." He flashed her a warm smile. "Can you believe how beautiful she looked last night, Linda?"

Linda smiled. "Like a snow angel, Vince." Rinoa blushed, and laughed. "Your parents were very nice. Are they still in town?" Rinoa shook her head.

"They had to catch a red eye. They really liked you guys."

"We liked them. They raised a terrific daughter." Vince stopped as they heard the front door slam. "Oh, here comes Hurricane Stephanie." Rinoa stifled a giggle as she slid the cutting board of vegetables to Linda to put in the sauce.

Stephanie entered the kitchen, dressed in a pair of jeans and a maroon T-shirt, a surprisingly conservative look compared to what she usually wore. She saw Rinoa and flashed her a smile. "You didn't go off with Shane?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Doctor's appointment in a few days."

"Pregnant already?"

Rinoa blushed as Vince and Linda looked at her. "Not that kind of doctor," Rinoa replied. Stephanie smiled, having landed a direct hit on her sister-in-law in front of both her parents.

"What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs."

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Yeah, Steph. You can come in my office for a second, so we can talk," Vince replied. Stephanie looked at her father, nodded, and followed him out. Rinoa shot Linda a look, an eyebrow cocked in wonder.

"Don't worry about it," Linda replied. "It's just business." They fell silent. "So, are you guys talking about starting a family?"

Rinoa laughed. "Thanks, Stephanie," she murmured under her breath. "No, not yet. I guess when Shane has a little more time we'll talk about it."

"Would you want to have children, Rinoa? I mean, your career..."

"That's why we'd talk about it," Rinoa replied with a laugh.

"You'd want to have kids with Shane, though, right?"

"Of course," Rinoa replied with a smile. "I think you and Vince would be perfect grandparents. My parents would be over the moon." Linda smiled.

"I think you and Shane would be great parents."

"That means a lot to hear," Rinoa replied. Linda stirred the noodles.

Dinner was surprisingly quiet, despite all the chatter leading up. Stephanie was sullen, staring down at her plate and picking at her food. Linda and Vince were talking about the new phase of business, while Rinoa ate in silence, her eyes going back to the ring every now and then. She knew she should have called Shane and told him that she was going to dinner at his parent's house, but she didn't want to bother him.

The phone rang and Vince got up and answered the phone in the living room. "Hello? Shane-O, what's up? Yes, she's here. Did you want to talk to her? How's Italy? Great. I'll get your wife for you." He re-entered the dining area. "Rinoa, your husband's looking for you." She jumped to her feet with a smile and made her way to the phone. Vince sat back down with Linda, flashing her a smile.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful. Went for dinner at Mom and Dad's, huh?"

"Yeah. I didn't really want to be alone tonight. How was your flight?"

"Exhausting. But I'm all checked in and everything. I'm meeting the Dudleyz tomorrow before the presentation."

"You took the Dudley Boyz? They're a little rough around the edges, aren't they?"

"You wouldn't believe the fan base they have in Italy. Trust me, honey, I did a lot of marketing research before I picked the guys to come along. How are you?"

"I'm all right. I miss you already."

"I miss you, too. Drive safe tonight, all right?"

"You know I will. I'll see you when you get home."

"I can't wait."

"Neither can I."

"I'll talk to you later, beautiful. I need to get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you, too, Shane. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He hung up the phone and she did the same, entering the room with a dreamy smile on her face.

"I know that look," Linda replied as Rinoa sat down in front of her dinner plate again. Stephanie shot Rinoa a look, a soft smile crossing her face. Rinoa laughed and they continued to eat dinner. All Rinoa could think about was Shane coming home.


	3. Dr Salinas

**Chapter Three: Dr. Salinas**

Rinoa sat alone in the waiting area of the therapist's office, looking at the abstract watercolor paintings on the wall. She was uncomfortable, fidgeting her fingers and staring down at the immaculate pink hued fingernails she had done for the wedding. She felt out of place, a professional wrestler in an abstract, psychoanalytic place with pristine white carpeting and brown leather couches.

The door to the main office opened and a middle aged blonde stepped out, her lips painted a dark red, her eyes slashed with dark makeup. She was dressed in a black suit and a white shirt with a high neckline. Her thin lips contorted into a wide smile. "Rinoa McMahon?"

Rinoa stood to her feet, approaching to shake the woman's hand. "Yes, that's me."

"Dr. Marilyn Salinas. Please, come inside." Rinoa followed the woman into her office, a wide, spacious room with an enormous window that was covered by blinds. Small slits of sunlight wove their way along the room, where two couches sat in the middle of the room. "Please, have a seat." Rinoa nodded and sat down, readjusting her black skirt and crossing her left leg over her right. Dr. Salinas sat down across from her.

"So, what brings you here, Rinoa?"

"My husband," Rinoa confessed. "We had a bit of a rough patch last year, and he thought it would be better if I talked to somebody a bit...qualified to get past it."

"Rough patch last year? Well, we're in the new year. What took you so long to come see somebody?" Rinoa contemplated her answer, a soft sigh escaping her rouged lips.

"I guess I thought I could handle it myself," she answered. "I was pretty wrong about that."

"What happened exactly, Rinoa?" Dr. Salinas inquired. "Did he cheat? Did you cheat?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Rinoa replied quickly. "Shane and I have been together for over a year and speaking for myself, I can honestly say that I've never even thought about cheating on him."

"And Shane?"

"Shane's pretty much devoted to me, so I don't think he'd ever cheat," Rinoa replied.

"Does that ever weigh on you?"

"What? That he could potentially cheat?" she asked. Dr. Salinas nodded. Rinoa became indignant. "No! Look, I'm here to sort through issues. And none of them – I repeat, none, are Shane's fault. He has been wonderful to me since everything happened, and hopefully one of these days I can get Shane to come in here with me."

"Oh?"

She sighed. "Shane kind of has this tendency to blame himself when things go wrong. He tries so hard to make it seem like he's not feeling guilty, but it's one of those things you can pick up on. Like women's intuition, you know?" Dr. Salinas nodded, opting to just allow Rinoa to get it all out. "I don't think I could ever thank Shane enough for everything he's done for me."

"Where is your husband now, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He's overseas on a business trip. Italy."

"What does he do?"

"He does a few odd things for his father's company. Overseas expansion, oversees the website, part time competitor."

"Where do you work?"

"I'm with the World Wrestling Federation." Rinoa saw the doctor's face darken a little bit and for a moment, Rinoa was convinced she was going to be asked if it was real. But her face lightened so quickly that Rinoa wondered if it was just something with the lighting.

"Shane McMahon. I see," she replied. "How long ago did you guys get married?"

"A few days ago, actually. We haven't had much time to enjoy it, though. The day after we got married, he took off to Italy for a week."

"You sound like that upsets you."

"Not really," she answered. "Wrestling's an odd business because not just anybody can be a part of it. Not everybody can be okay with being away from home and their families for three hundred days a year. And to put their bodies out there to be beaten down for that same amount of time."

"How is your body feeling?"

"Well, it feels fine. I've been out on injured reserve for the last few months."

"Oh?"

"I had neck surgery. I suffered compressed vertebrae a few months ago."

"Work related?"

"No." Dr. Salinas picked up on the dark tone.

"Is that something you want to talk about today?" Rinoa thought it out.

"It might be better to get it out," Rinoa replied. "And to be honest, this is my first time doing this. I don't really know what else I've got to talk about. I mean, my parents were perfect." Dr. Salinas laughed. Rinoa became uneasy, and Dr. Salinas realized that she was fidgeting a bit, playing with the ring on her finger. "I guess everything kind of started when I signed with Shane's father back in 2000. Um, there is this guy there named Kurt Angle, maybe you heard of him." Dr. Salinas shook her head. "He won a gold medal back in the 1996 Olympics. Anyways, I'm getting off topic.

"The first time I met Shane was when I signed with his father, and I guess – not to be totally cliched – that it was love at first sight. But there was a little bit of an issue."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, Shane's father wasn't really sold on the idea of his children dating within the business, and as it was, he was already upset that his daughter married another one of his top guys. So when Shane and I started dating, the two of us agreed to keep it a secret."

"What problems did that create?"

"Lots. On Shane's end, he had two women named Torrie and Stacy throwing themselves at him. On my end, I had Kurt harassing me to no end. At first it was a little innocent, but as time progressed..."

"What?"

"Well, as time progressed, he got a little bit more aggressive with me." She shook her head.

"Did he ever get physical with you?" Rinoa nodded.

"There was one night. It was one of our pay-per-views. I think it was King of the Ring. Shane and I were talking and I locked up the locker room and went to take a shower. I had a bra and panties match earlier in the night and I was kind of uncomfortable about having the door unlocked."

"Bra and panties match?"

"I know it sounds degrading. I don't really have a defense for it. The object is you strip your opponent to their underwear. I won, but I lost my shirt and Kurt was right there waiting when I got backstage.

"Anyways, when I got out of the shower, he was still knocking on the door, so I sent Shane into the shower area and answered the door."

"Why did you send him into hiding?"

"I didn't want any stories to get out about Shane and I being in the Divas locker room together. At that point there were a lot of stories going around about the two of us, and his father was catching wind of it and he really wasn't all that pleased."

"So what happened?"

"Kurt kept telling me that he wanted me to go out with him, and I kept saying no. He just wasn't getting it. Anyways, long story short, he kind of lunged at me and told me it wasn't over. He made some vulgar comments, too, but to be honest, it's been so long I can't really remember them."

"Did you ever think about going to...?"

"Vince?" Rinoa shook her head. "You have to understand something about the wrestling industry. It's like hierarchy. For every woman that makes a fuss about a guy harassing her – especially a top draw like Kurt Angle – they can find about two or three other women."

"Have you told this to Vince? That you have these feelings?" Rinoa shook her head. "Why not?"

"I guess I'd hate for Vince to have the feeling that what happened was his fault."

"Or is it that you realize how ridiculous the reasoning sounds?" Rinoa thought it out for a second. She shook her head.

"There's been a lot of women that have passed through the company and have left claiming sexual harassment. A lot who have been replaced just as easily, even though they were women at the top of their game. I didn't want to be one of them."

"Do you think dating the boss' son had anything to do with these feelings?"

"Maybe. I didn't want things to become awkward for Shane. But he was beside himself after Kurt pulled what he did in the locker room. You see, wrestling is a predetermined sport, and Kurt Angle was considered a shoo-in to win for the King of the Ring tournament for the second year in a row. But Shane got so riled up, he went out and beat Kurt to a point where he was knocked out of the tournament."

"How was Vince with that?"

"Not happy. You don't mess with a man's vision, even if you are his son. He ripped Shane a new one for doing that. Word started getting around to the boys that Kurt had manhandled me in the Divas locker room."

"Well, if Shane was in the room, why didn't he come help you?"

"I wouldn't have allowed it. I told him to stay in the back no matter what happened. Shane was so mad, but if Kurt found out that Shane was in there with me, he was going to exploit it, and neither one of us wanted that. I did tell Shane just to let it go, but he was so riled up he just went after Kurt."

"So did things stop after Shane's attack?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Things got much worse afterwards. Shane had gotten a street fight against Kurt and Kurt had beaten him. Shane had been beside himself. He had this strange idea in his head that losing to Kurt was like losing his last stand."

"So what happened afterwards, Rinoa?"

Rinoa sighed; this was the dark stuff. The stuff she still had a hard time talking about. "Chris, one of my good friends in the company, decided I needed some time off. To take care of some nagging injuries and to get away from Kurt for a little bit. I had already dropped the Women's Championship, so there was nothing really to keep me there. So Vince gave me the time off. Between you and I, I think he was a little bit relieved that I would be away from Shane. I think the rumors were driving him crazy." She sighed. A heavy feeling was sinking into the pit of her stomach. She was starting to feel the familiar anxiety creeping up on her.

"So was it the end of your problems with Kurt?" Rinoa shook her head. "Judging by your demeanor, I'm sensing things got much worse. Are you all right to talk about it?"

Rinoa nodded. "I guess I'm going to have to talk about it sometime. Shane kind of wishes I'd talk about it more."

"What happened?"

"Well...I'm still not quite sure," she confessed. She sighed. "I remember I was watching a movie one night and I felt this chill. I went to the kitchen and I found the door open. When I went to close it...I was grabbed."

Dr. Salinas' eyes widened. Rinoa took a deep breath. She could feel the tears welling up as she remembered what happened. "He told me not to struggle, but I just kept trying to get away. He started to drag me towards the living room. I think he was trying to make his way up the stairs with me, but I ruined it when I bit him. He threw me over the couch and I landed wrong. I knew instantly my neck was totaled. I couldn't feel my arms." The tears began spilling over and Dr. Salinas handed her a box of Kleenex. "He was on me in a flash, and I tried so hard. I kept begging him to stop...I tried to fight him off, but I couldn't feel my arms..."

"Rinoa..." Dr. Salinas was stunned. Rinoa sobbed into her tissue. "Rinoa, were you raped?" Rinoa could only nod as she cried a bit harder. "Where was Shane?"

She sighed. "Shane was in Canada giving a presentation. I don't know how he found out that Kurt made his way to my place, but he had one of the guys come get me. All I can remember is just laying there...my arms were numbing and throbbing. It was so humiliating. I couldn't move, and I didn't want him to look at me." She sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"How did Shane react?"

"How do you think he reacted?" Rinoa replied with a sigh. "He was beside himself. He's been trying his damnedest to hide it from me, but I know he blames himself for what happened."

"So, your neck injury was a result of the attack?" She nodded.

"I underwent emergency surgery for compressed vertebrae. Steve and his wife waited while Shane was on his way. Kurt...I heard he actually showed up at the hospital with flowers to see me."

"What?" Dr. Salinas was horrified to hear that.

"Breathe easy. He didn't make it to my hospital room. I guess he said something to Shane, and he attacked Kurt right in the parking lot." She laughed. "That was when we had to tell Vince we were dating."

"How did he react?"

"I was expecting him to be pretty mad. But I guess the...rape...and the surgery kind of softened the blow. I don't think he could be mad at me." She sighed.

"What did Shane do in the aftermath to help you along?"

She smiled. "He packed up my things and he took me back to his place. We sold the house and he took care of all that because he knew I couldn't do it. He waited on me hand and foot, which was so difficult for him. He was doing a major storyline on screen, plus balancing off-screen stuff while he was taking care of me." Dr. Salinas nodded, obviously impressed by Shane.

"How did you feel about Shane as a result?" Rinoa took a deep breath and contemplated her answer.

"I still loved Shane. But I couldn't touch him. I just...I know it sounds so repetitive, but I felt so dirty. And I felt like damaged goods. I could never figure out how Shane could look at me knowing what had happened. I know the feeling bothered him. I know it bothered him that I couldn't touch him, or kiss him...what was worse was that we were actually getting ready to finally...um, _consumate_ our relationship when this happened."

"Did you ever feel any pressure to sleep with Shane?"

"No. He's not like that. He's always been nothing but a gentleman with me." She sighed. "Shane is a lot stronger than I give him credit for. He managed to put aside all of his feelings about it and just be there for me. And I know the entire situation still bothers him. I still have moments where it hits me, and I wonder if this is all I'm ever going to remember?"

"Did you report this?"

"Of course. It took me a few days. You see, what had happened was Kurt was apprehended outside the hospital. And he was taken to the police station. Because he didn't have a criminal record, it could have easily become a cold case because there was nothing to compare." She sighed. "I just wanted to forget it had happened, but he was going to go free if I didn't say anything. And just the thought of seeing him again, that sick smile, those eyes..." Rinoa shuddered and took another deep breath. She wished the feeling of anxiety would subside in her stomach.

"What's happened with his case?"

"It's been suspended, whatever the hell that means," Rinoa replied bitterly. "He was bailed out by Torrie and Stacy and he was back in the company, taking place in the storylines. When everything was suspended indefinitely, Vince sent him to a psychiatric facility in hopes to work through whatever caused him to do this."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I feel like the justice system failed me," Rinoa replied bluntly. "And I'm not the first woman that happened to, and I won't be the last. I just focused on trying to get everything back in order with Shane. I was so afraid I was going to lose him."

"You obviously didn't. That's quite a ring on your finger," she replied, taking Rinoa's hand and examining it. Rinoa looked at the clock. Time was almost up. "Rinoa, our time is up in a few minutes, so I will tell you a few things.

"For one thing, I think you're one of the most emotionally resilient women I've ever met. It appears that you've handled everything with the utmost grace and the utmost of class. I hope that the psychiatric facility was able to give Mr. Angle the insight he deserves, and one day, when you're ready, you'll find closure in granting forgiveness." Rinoa nodded. "The pain is still fresh; you were betrayed in one of the worst ways, and that takes time to get over. The suspension of his criminal case doesn't help things either. The psychiatric facility is not much of a consolation prize, however, I applaud Mr. McMahon for making the decision in an attempt to try and make things better for you.

"I agree with you. I think it would be a great idea if your husband came in with you when you have some time. I think there are some issues that both of you need to get out that you're both obviously not getting out in your regular day to day lives. When is he due back from Italy?"

"In about five or six days," Rinoa replied. "After Italy, he has to fly to Latin America for another presentation."

"Well, when he comes back, I would like you to talk to him about attending a session with you. I think it would be a good idea." Rinoa nodded and stood to her feet, adjusting her purse over her shoulder. Dr. Salinas shook her hand. "I will see you next week, Rinoa. Remember to keep your head up. You're a strong woman. And think about what I've told you and think about what else you want to talk about next week. Same time?"

Rinoa nodded and followed Dr. Salinas out of the office. With a reassuring smile, Rinoa wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and made her way down towards the parking lot. After talking about what happened, the only thought she had was talking to Shane.


	4. Learning the Backstage Ropes

**Chapter Three: Learning the Backstage Ropes**

Vince and Rinoa were sitting in Vince's office at WWF Headquarters. With Shane gone and no real timetable for Rinoa's return, Vince thought it would be better to help teach Rinoa some of the backstage workings in hopes to give her something to do with her boredom. The two of them were sitting in Vince's office, prepared to meet with a new guy named Brock Lesnar and hopefully work out a timetable for his debut. The next day they were meeting with an OVW champion named John Cena, followed by a meeting with a third-generation athlete named Randy Orton - Vince seemed very excited about that one, while Rinoa tried to put a name to the face. Orton sounded familiar. After that, they were meeting with an amateur athlete by the name of Shelton Benjamin, and then they were capping the week off meeting a man named Dave Batista.

"You all right, Rinoa?" Vince asked. She nodded. She was dressed in black pants with a white button down shirt, her hair back in a ponytail.

"Yeah. I'll let you do all the talking," she replied with a laugh. He smiled.

"This is a great way to show you different sides to the business," he told her. "One of these days, you know you'll want to get out of the ring and take care of the different aspects." She nodded. There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Vince boomed.

A big, blond man entered, dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans. Rinoa stood to her feet. "Brock Lesnar," he said softly, shaking Vince's hand.

"You obviously know who I am," Vince replied, "and this is my daughter-in-law, Rinoa." They offered simple pleasantries and Brock sat down. The two men then began talking about plans for Brock in the company. Rinoa was surprised by the man's size. Vince obviously was big on Brock Lesnar and had huge plans for the guy. Rinoa wasn't so sure. But Vince had a hell of an eye for talent, and the fact that Brock was there said that he was obviously good enough to be in the company. And if Vince was huge on him, he must have been talented.

They hammered out the last minute details and he signed the official contract. Vince had a plan of bringing him in after WrestleMania X8 and told him that he wanted to put Brock with a man regarded as a mad scientist in the wrestling industry, Paul Heyman. Rinoa knew instantly he would be brought in as a heel, since most of the fans couldn't handle any aspect of Paul. Brock shook hands with Rinoa and shook hands with Vince, offering him thanks before leaving. Vince turned to her. "He's an amateur wrestling champion."

"Really?"

Vince nodded. "He's been toiling down in OVW for a little while now. Actually, all the guys we're meeting this week are guys who have been down in OVW for a little while." He looked at Rinoa again, this time giving her a once over. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "Thanks for putting up with me so much."

"It's not putting up with you," he told her with a smile. "Shane will be back in three days, and I know he's excited to hear that you're doing different stuff backstage."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Before you know, I'll be sending you two off on presentations together. The fact you're a Diva too, doesn't hurt our promotions." She smiled.

"So, what are you thinking about the Royal Rumble, Vince?"

"I got a match with Ric Flair; creative can take care of everything else." Rinoa smiled. When the Invasion angle had gone under after Survivor Series, Shane and Stephanie had handed their shares over to the legendary Ric Flair. The WWF was a big place where enough egos could coexist, but it seemed as though the egos of Vince McMahon and Ric Flair couldn't fit at the top. There was a street fight between the two sanctioned at the Royal Rumble the following weekend. "I can tell you we have a huge surprise in store for the fans."

"What would that be?"

"I can't tell you. It'd kill the surprise."

"Dad..." She was still getting used to calling him Dad.

"Well, Hunter's coming back at the Royal Rumble."

"Really. Are things any better between him and Stephanie?" Vince shook his head. Rinoa felt terrible to hear that. For all of her faults, Rinoa really did like Stephanie, and thought that Hunter and Stephanie were always a pretty happy couple. "How is she?"

"It's bothering her something awful," Vince replied, "but again, she has to do whatever she can to work through it." Rinoa nodded.

"So, is Hunter going to win the Rumble?"

"I think so. Oh, did I tell you? Right now we have Jim in the music department trying to get a few bands for WrestleMania in March."

"Anybody good?"

"I think he's negotiating with Saliva and Drowning Pool." Vince's face crinkled in distaste. Vince knew how to be cutting-edge and current, but it didn't mean that he followed up with all the new metal and rock bands. Rinoa smiled.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"That is awesome." Vince smiled.

"That's definitely the kind of feedback I like to hear," he replied with a smile. He stood. "Want to go get lunch? I have to be at court at two to take care of that Wildlife stuff." Rinoa nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." Vince linked his arm with Rinoa's and escorted her out of the building. He thought Shane's wife was amazing. She had been listening intently, watching Vince do business and taking notes. She was more than willing to learn new things around the backstage area, and Vince knew that when she put her knowledge to use, she'd probably outshine a few of the guys who already had their degrees.

Rinoa thought about Shane. The last few days had gone by fast. She was excited to know he'd be home for a week before resuming travels with the company. Rinoa was set to do some appearances at WWF New York while Shane was home, and then Vince had a few autograph signings set up for her while Shane was traveling. It was enough to keep the two of them busy, with no real time for themselves.

The fact that they didn't have a chance to go on a honeymoon didn't bother Rinoa. She did wish that she had a few more days with Shane before his Italy trip, but she knew that this was Shane's business. This was his livelihood, and he needed to be there as the Executive Vice President of Global Media to strike these deals and make these presentations. The man was so damn charismatic that it seemed stupid to have anybody else speak on his behalf. Anyways, she realized that there was nothing more impressive to a potential client than a McMahon coming to see them. They were the frontier family in wrestling, and their name was known around the world in the wrestling industry. She looked at her ring again. No matter how many times she looked at the ring on her finger, it was still a euphoric feeling to know she was the wife of Shane McMahon.


	5. Welcome Home

**Chapter Five: Welcome Home**

Shane emerged from the airplane, exhausted. The night before he had gone partying with Edge and Christian, who had joined him for the tour along with Terri Runnels, who had flown back the previous night. After a few kamikazes, Shane had passed out, but hadn't managed to get alot of sleep. His body hadn't really adjusted to the time zones before he was off to Argentina and then back to New York. He was exhausted, but the thought of Rinoa meeting him at the airport was something that brought a smile to his face. He knew that her first therapy session had gone well; she had told him so, but she had sounded a little bit down. That's how he knew that everything with Kurt Angle had been talked about on the first visit. She had told Shane that she needed to talk to him when he got back, but assured him that he was not in trouble. He couldn't wait to hold her in his arms again. He missed her.

He spotted her standing amongst the people, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt, her hair down around her face. He loved the haircut she had gotten when he had proposed. She smiled and he made his way over to her, holding her tightly, his hands stroking her back as he almost knocked her off her feet. "God, I missed you," he told her, kissing her softly, yet passionately in the middle of the airport.

"I'm so glad you're home," she replied with a smile.

"How has your week been?"

"Great," Rinoa replied. "Your dad's been teaching me some backstage stuff, contract negotiations and stuff." Shane smiled.

"That's great. Any new signings?"

"A few. I'm amazed there's anybody left in OVW with how much your dad's been signing everyone." Shane laughed.

"When Dad gets in on signing new talent, he goes gung ho." He held her hand as they made their way towards the baggage claim. "I'm glad you were with them, keeping you company. I was worried about being away from you for so long." She smiled.

"I'm a tough girl, Shane. You know I'm okay."

"I know." He took her hand and they began making their way towards the baggage claim. "So how was your session with Dr. Salinas? You sounded pretty down over the phone."

Rinoa smiled. "It's still a little hard to talk about everything, Shane."

"I know," he told her, grabbing his suitcase from the rotating rack. He kissed the side of her head. "I missed you so much." He was still smiling; he had a couple days with her before he had to be on the road, backstage at Raw. Sure, she had a few appearances to do, but that was nothing. It wasn't like she was flying halfway around the world like he had. He wouldn't have blamed her if she was mad that he had to leave so soon after their wedding.

They made their way through the crowd of people. "I thought we'd go visit Mom and Dad for dinner tonight. You and I both know that they'll be over if I don't." Rinoa laughed. Shane knew it was important to talk about the deal's and their progress with his father. Vince would call him tonight if he didn't, or even come over. He leaned over to Rinoa and whispered in her ear. "I want you tonight." Rinoa blushed as he placed a soft kiss on the side of her head. He drew her close under his arm and the two of them left the airport together, smiles on their faces.

"Shane-O! Rinoa! Come on in."

Linda stepped to the side and the two of them entered the house. "Joining us for dinner?" Linda inquired. Shane nodded.

"Dad around by any chance?" Linda nodded and motioned to his office towards the back of the house. He gave Rinoa a quick kiss and made his way down the hallway, leaving Rinoa and Linda alone.

"How has it been working so close with Vince?" Linda asked. Rinoa smiled.

"Great. He officially raided like half the OVW locker room last week." Linda laughed. "It looks like we have a pretty impressive crop of talent coming in."

"Any favorites you're looking out for?"

"Vince seems to have big plans for Brock Lesnar. It might be too soon to tell, but there's something I can't quite put my finger on with John Cena and Randy Orton. Vince said Randy is a third generation Superstar, but for the life of me, I can't remember who his father is." Linda smiled.

"Orton. Must be the Cowboy's son," Linda told her. "He used to accompany Roddy Piper back in the day."

"Wasn't he the guy with the cast on his arm for like three years?" Rinoa asked. Linda nodded and a low whistle escaped Rinoa's lips. "Thank God Randy doesn't look a whole lot like him." Linda laughed.

"I guess that's your subtle way of saying he's cute."

"Let's not tell Shane that," she replied and they both laughed. She shook her head. "It's so great to have him home."

"Have you spoken to him about visiting Dr. Salinas with you?" Rinoa shook her head.

"I'll probably do that tonight. I think it could be good for him, but I don't know if he has the time to do it."

"We could give him the time off to do it," Linda replied but Rinoa shook her head.

"I know how Shane is," she replied. "The business comes first. It would just have to be when he is finished with traveling for the week." Linda smiled.

"I understand this business is in our blood," Linda said, "but first and foremost, you two are married. So if something happens with the two of you, we won't hesitate to give Shane some time off, okay?" Rinoa nodded.

"So what are we making for dinner tonight?"

"Vince is doing some grilling tonight, so you and I are just going to bake some potatoes and make a Caesar salad."

"Sounds like a plan," Rinoa replied. "Shane thought it'd be a good idea to come here. He said Vince would have been on our doorstep about the presentation either way." Linda laughed.

"Yeah. Vince is a workaholic," she replied. "The day he retires, I don't think he'll know what to do with himself." Rinoa nodded; Vince was always busy with something. And when he wasn't, he had Shane and Stephanie busy while he occupied himself with something else. Hell, when he had finally warmed up to Triple H, he put Hunter to work with things, too. "Vince says that you're catching on pretty nicely."

"I did some odds and ends here and there in WCW," she admitted. "When Hogan wasn't around." Linda nodded.

"That guy. Did so much for this business, but made things so difficult on us." Rinoa nodded; she knew all about Hulk Hogan's reputation and it had even disgusted Rinoa to know that he had testified against Vince during a steroid trial in 1992.

Shane entered the kitchen, a smile on his face, and draped an arm around Rinoa. "How was your time in Italy and Argentina?"

"Great," Shane replied. "We made some real progress with the Italian investors, but Argentina's still standing firm." Linda sighed. Shane shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We'll get them." He looked around the kitchen. "Steph joining us for dinner?"

"She said she was thinking about it," Linda replied. "I guess Hunter's been so busy with his rehabilitation that Stephanie's been spending most of her time alone." Shane's face darkened. He was overall very protective of his sister and it bothered him to hear that Hunter was treating his sister the way he was. Linda turned on the oven and began to get the baked potatoes ready. "Shane, I know that look. You're not going to go beat sense into Triple H." Rinoa laughed, shaking her head. "Whether we like it or not, Shane, Stephanie is an adult, so we have to let her go it alone." Shane sighed, nodded.

"You're right, Mom." They heard the car pull up and Linda looked at Shane. "She's here." They heard the car door slam. The door opened a few seconds later.

"Mom?"

"In the kitchen, honey." Stephanie trudged in. Her eyes were swollen, red, her brown hair back in a high ponytail. She was dressed in a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a black leather jacket. Linda's face softened at the sight of her daughter and she gave Stephanie a hug. Shane went to say something to his sister, but Rinoa put a hand on his shoulder, telling him wordlessly to let his mother handle it. Shane nodded numbly and went to the back of the house to talk to his father.

"It's over, Mom!" Stephanie cried. "I can just feel it!" Rinoa knew better than to stick around at the moment, so she followed Shane out to the backyard where Vince was grilling. Shane was obviously filling in his father on what happened, as Rinoa could see Vince's face darkening with each sentence that passed through Shane's lips. Vince put down the flipper to make his way towards the house, but Rinoa stopped him.

"Let Mom handle it," Rinoa replied. "If you guys get all in her space right now there's a good shot she's going to fly off the handle." Vince nodded; both his children had his temper. He knew that Stephanie would blow a gasket if he and Shane went in, all guns blazing, complaining about Hunter and what he was doing to Stephanie. With a sigh, Vince went back to the grill, and Shane shot Rinoa a look. He knew she was trying to be helpful, and that staying away from Stephanie would have avoided a potentially difficult situation.


	6. Joint Therapy

**Chapter Six: Joint Therapy**

Shane looked around the waiting area uncomfortably. Rinoa looked just as out of place, playing with the ring on her finger. She looked beautiful, dressed in a baby blue minidress with a sweetheart neckline and a pair of strap-up black heels. She had her left leg crossed over her right, and the way the skirt showed off a lot of leg was driving Shane crazy. Her fidgeting was driving him crazy, too, but that was a completely different crazy feeling. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You always so nervous?"

She smiled. "Sorry." She was still surprised that he had been so agreeable to come see Dr. Salinas. The door opened and she quickly stood to her feet, Shane doing the same. Dr. Salinas smiled.

"Hello, Rinoa. It appears that you got your husband to come with you." She extended her hand to Shane. "Marilyn Salinas."

"Shane McMahon. Nice to meet you."

"Please. Come in." She stepped to the side and the two of them entered the room, sitting down on a chair. Dr. Salinas closed the door and sat down in front of them.

"How are you this week, Rinoa?"

"I'm all right. I've been doing a lot of backstage stuff with Vince while Shane was away. We signed a few new talents and I think he wants me to take a look at the creative side of things."

"How do you feel about that, Shane? Your wife doing more than competing?"

"I think it's great," Shane replied. "There's nothing better than having an active competitor doing different things. It's versatile, and not only that, they have a better knowledge of what works and what doesn't, as opposed to say, just a guy with a creative writing degree." Dr. Salinas nodded.

"Last week, Rinoa told me about what had happened with Kurt Angle last year." Both Rinoa and Dr. Salinas noticed Shane visibly tense up at the mention of Kurt's name. "I would like to hear your side of things."

"My side? I don't think I really have a side..."

"You were out of the country at the time, were you not?" Shane nodded.

"I was taking care of some business in Canada."

"How did you find out that Kurt had found Rinoa?"

Shane sighed; this was stuff he hadn't talked about with Rinoa. He leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "The business I'm in...it's a little old-fashioned. Think the Godfather with muscles."

"How do you mean?"

"Well...some of the guys..." Shane thought about it carefully. He didn't want to get anybody in trouble. "Let's just say that when somebody steps out of line, sometimes, there are a few guys who help them get back on the straight and narrow."

"Are we talking violence here, Mr. McMahon?"

Shane sighed. "It depends on the mentality. My family doesn't condone it, but there is a hierarchy in the locker room where the veterans help keep the new guys in line."

"And Kurt Angle was a new guy?"

Shane shook his head. "He joined us in November 1999. My dad was falling over himself to sign the guy because he won a gold medal a few years before."

"So wait a minute – were there any problems with Kurt before he set eyes on Rinoa?"

They both nodded. "Kurt was trying to break up my sister's marriage," Shane replied.

"So how did you find out about Rinoa?" Dr. Salinas asked, steering him back on topic.

"Rinoa told you that things had gotten a little out of hand with Kurt, right?" Dr. Salinas nodded. "Well..." he took a deep breath. "A couple of the guys decided they were going to..._take _Kurt aside and..._have a few words_ with him."

"As in violence?"

"I think so. It was why Chris had gotten Rinoa to go away on injured leave. He didn't want her around for any of that. I didn't either."

"Interesting," Dr. Salinas said. Rinoa was looking at Shane surprised. "You knew there was going to be violence?"

"I knew there was the possibility," Shane replied. "But men like the Undertaker and men like Chris Jericho, they talk first. Violence is a last resort. But we knew in the event of something happening, we didn't want Rinoa around for it." Rinoa shook her head.

"Rinoa, are you all right?" Dr. Salinas asked. Rinoa nodded. Shane knew she was upset about the set up.

"Fine," she answered.

"So what happened?"

"I guess Kurt had called Vince and no-showed a taping, claiming there was a family emergency. However, when Vince called back to get some last minute information, he found out that Kurt wasn't even home."

Dr. Salinas cocked an eyebrow, and Rinoa felt a chill up her spine. "The guys called me. I didn't even think he knew where Rinoa lived. The guys and I were just hoping to hell we could contain it before Rinoa found out he was on the loose."

"Where were you?"

He sighed. "I was on my way back from the presentation early to surprise Rinoa."

"How concerned were you with their thoughts that Kurt was possibly on the hunt for Rinoa?"

"Very concerned. I called Steve Austin and sent him to Rinoa's."

"So what happened when you arrived?"

Shane sighed, running a hand through his hair. Rinoa put a comforting hand on her knee. "I got to Rinoa's as fast as I could. The place was a goddamn crime scene. There were police, ambulances everywhere. The cops wouldn't tell me anything other than it was a crime scene. Steve met me there to tell me that Rinoa had been taken to the hospital."

"What were the police's findings?"

"A home invasion," Shane said with a shake of his head. "But we all knew the truth. Rinoa didn't need to confess a thing. We all knew Kurt did this, regardless of what anybody tried to convince us."

"So what happened at the hospital?"

"Rinoa wouldn't see anybody at first. I was going crazy waiting for her to get out of surgery. Steve and I went outside for some air and we found Kurt Angle making his way up the parking lot with a bouquet of flowers." Shane's eyes blazed. "I wouldn't let him near her. He made a comment alluding to him doing this to Rinoa and I hit him. I couldn't help it, but it felt so good..." He shook his head. "Dad arrived and Kurt was whisked away by a couple guys. I don't know what happened after that, other than he ended up at the police station."

"Rinoa, why weren't you seeing anybody after you were in recovery?"

Rinoa sighed. "I didn't want them to see me like that," she answered. "Especially Shane. I felt like a whore. I was so scared to see him because I didn't know how he could look at me knowing what happened." The look on Shane's face convyed that he was horrified at her thoughts.

"Obviously, Shane didn't know about this."

"No," Shane said, his voice almost a whisper. He ran his hand through Rinoa's hair.

"Did you see Rinoa at the hospital, Shane?"

He nodded. "Dad talked Rinoa into letting me see her."

"Shane, how do you feel about what happened to Rinoa? Rinoa believes that you hold yourself responsible." Shane jolted and shot a look at Rinoa. He had hoped that she hadn't picked up on that. "Judging by your reaction, it seems to be true."

"It's one of those things where you wish you could be the knight in shining armor. And it's hard to get past when you realize it's too late to save someone you love from trouble." He nodded. "I do blame myself a lot for what happened. But I get through that by telling myself that I need to be strong for Rinoa. That what I'm feeling is irrelevant because she needs me there when she feels pain. When the memories are too much for her to deal with. I can't make up for not being there, but I'll tell you that I'll spend the rest of my life making everything up to her as best as I can for failing her like that."

Rinoa looked at him, tears brimming her eyes. His outburst had surprised her. "Shane, you're not at fault. You didn't fail me." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"How do you feel about what happened to Kurt?"

"It's fucking disgusting," Shane snarled, shaking his head. "They managed to get all of the evidence in the world against the son of a bitch, and suddenly it's not enough?" He sighed.

"Rinoa, is there something that you want to tell Shane?"

Rinoa nodded. Shane looked at her, cocking an eyebrow. "I know you guys are all frustrated about my injury, about what my return timetable is. I know nobody wants me back until I'm pretty sound, but I've kind of been thinking about retirement."


	7. A House Guest

**AN: Just a tad slight mature content in here...I don't normally write this kind of stuff, so if it flies with you guys, I'll incorporate it a bit more lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Chapter Seven: A House Guest**

Shane knew there wasn't a whole lot that he could say that would make Rinoa feel better after the session with Dr. Salinas. He had called Chris and Undertaker and let them know that Rinoa was pissed. She had remained silent all the way back to the house and had just gone into the house. Shane was grasping at straws to be upset too. Retirement? When the hell had she decided that?

"Rinoa, aren't you going to say anything?" he asked. She turned to him, arms crossed over her ample chest. "Why the hell are you mad at me?"

"How can you not tell me about...about you guys..." She shook her head. "It wasn't about me needing a vacation; it was about you guys wanting a clear shot at Kurt Angle!"

"Whoa, Rinoa. Back up a second and slow down," Shane told her. "The guys told me they were going to do it. I wasn't in town. Rinoa, your anger is misplaced here. Why are you even angry?"

"How can you guys keep something like that from me, Shane? You guys knew he was missing and you didn't think to call me?"

"Rinoa, we didn't even think he knew where you lived!" Shane assured her. He grabbed her and held her tightly against him, even though she struggled, letting out a cry in irritation. "Rinoa, we all had your best interest at heart. We didn't want anything coming back to you. Chris and Taker would have never put you in that spot." He pulled back just a little bit and looked into her eyes. "Rinoa, I swear to you, I...we were trying to look out for you." He kissed her forehead. "Please don't be mad. We wanted to track him down before we started scaring the hell out of you. We did want you to take a vacation. You needed one. It wasn't about getting a clear shot at Kurt; it was about getting you away from all the stress. I swear."

She looked up at him, her hand stroking his face softly. She looked as though she were about to cry. She had managed to push everything aside, and now Dr. Salinas was dragging it all up again. Shane wondered for a brief moment if it was a good idea that she keep going, but he knew that she needed to work through it. Before he knew what was happening, her lips were on his in a spineshattering kiss that caught Shane off guard. He pulled her closer as her arms snaked around his neck, playing with his hair as her tongue swiftly entered his mouth, exploring with more confidence and expertise she had shown in months. Shane moaned into her mouth, surprised and ecstatic that she was kissing him so fiercely. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over to the bed and climbed onto the mattress, laying her back on top of the blanket. Her fingers instantly went to the buttons of Shane's shirt, unbuttoning each one with expertise, his shirt flowing open to reveal a wide arc of tanned flesh. Her hands ran softly along the flesh of his chest, up to his shoulders, brushing the shirt off of his arms. "I think I know what you want..." he said teasingly as he pulled her dress off, revealing a matching pinstripe bra and panties set. "Jesus, Rinoa," he breathed, his hands trailing up her stomach to cup around her breasts. Her body arched against him as his lips found hers. Her hands were already on his belt buckle, trying blindly to unbuckle his belt without opening her eyes or breaking the kiss. He pulled back, lifting her with one arm so he could unhook her bra.

"Rinoa..."

"Shut up," she replied, her lips connecting with his again as he unhooked her bra and pulled it away, moving his lips to lavish her breasts with his undivided attention. "Shane..."

They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Shane groaned. "Fuck," he murmured. He turned his attention back to Rinoa, his lips traveling to her neck as his fingers brushed against her most intimate area. She took in a sharp breath. "Let's just ignore it." The doorbell rang again. She sighed.

"Shane...we have all night," she told him, grabbing her bra. Shane groaned as she slid it back on. She grabbed her dress and put it on, fixing her hair. She smiled at Shane and gave him another soft kiss as the doorbell rang again. "I'll give you a few minutes." With that she was out of the bedroom. Shane felt absolutely ridiculous, half dressed, standing at full attention.

Rinoa answered the door to see Stephanie standing at the door, with a duffel bag in her hand. She was beyond hysterical and she more or less threw herself at Rinoa when she opened the door, giving her a hug. "Steph, what's going on?"

"It's over," she sobbed, hugging Rinoa tightly. "He said that he didn't want to be with me anymore. That I was just a whiny, annoying bitch." Rinoa was horrified to think that Hunter could use such language on Stephanie, but there was no irony lost on Rinoa that Stephanie had come at the end of a fight with Shane.

"Come on in, Steph."

She sniffled, picking up her duffel bag and walking into the house. "Where's my brother?"

"Upstairs. He was just putting away a few things and he said he'd be down in a few minutes." Stephanie placed her bag down in the living room. "Can I fix you a drink, Steph? You look like you could use one." Stephanie nodded and Rinoa fixed her a rum and Coke, handing her the glass. Stephanie was shaking violently, her sobs creating loud gulps as she sipped from the glass. Rinoa sat down beside her. "What did you two fight about that it's suddenly over, Steph?"

Stephanie sighed. "He threw it in my face that I came back to do the Invasion without him. He said I left him high and dry to rehab himself." Stephanie shook her head. "I tried being there for him for two months! He kept making it more and more obvious that he didn't want me there, so I just went back to work." She sipped her drink again, the sobs threatening to overtake her once more.

"Steph, he's probably just a bit frustrated over being away from the business for a year. I'm sure things will get better when he finally gets back in the ring." Stephanie shook her head.

"No. They won't. He'll realize that's it and he'll push through with a divorce. Then in a couple week's he'll probably be fucking Trish like everyone else has." She sipped her drink. Rinoa bit her lower lip. Trish Stratus was one of her best friends, but there was no love lost between Stephanie and Trish. "Rinoa, what am I going to do if I lose him?"

"Honey, you're not going to lose him. You're going through a rough patch. It happens to everybody. You did the right thing coming over here though. You and Hunter are both very driven people, and you both have a bit of a temper. There's no communicating when two people are hotheaded." Stephanie nodded. "Come on. I'll take you to the spare room and then you can help me make dinner." Stephanie nodded and Rinoa led her down the hallway to the spare room. "I'm just going to check on your brother." Stephanie nodded and Rinoa made her way upstairs. Shane was just buttoning up his shirt. He turned to Rinoa.

"What's going on?"

"Stephanie and Hunter have separated," she replied, kissing him lightly. "She's settling into the spare room. She's pretty heartbroken right now, so try to keep the Hunter bashing to a minimum tonight." Shane nodded.

"Why didn't she go to Mom and Dad's?" he asked. "They're closer."

"I don't know. But she's here. And she needs you right now, Shane." He nodded. He gave her a kiss.

"I love you."

"Love you too. Now go see your sister."


	8. No Way Out 2002

**Chapter Eight: No Way Out 2002**

Stephanie had been staying with Rinoa and Shane for almost a month and Shane was going crazy. Rinoa wouldn't make love to him with Stephanie staying downstairs in the spare room. He was edgy, fidgety, and he was starting to think that Rinoa was enjoying his suffering. Shane was almost more than happy to pay for couple's counseling just so he could get some alone time with Rinoa. The guys were always busting his chops, and in his sexually frustrated state, Shane found himself snappy, irritated, which only riled the guys a little bit more. He was almost wishing he had talked Rinoa into the trips to Italy and Argentina.

Stephanie was still kicking around backstage, but she always looked miserable, her big brown eyes normally looking down at the concrete as she walked around making her rounds. Things still weren't going well between her and Hunter. Shane could only shake his head at his sister. In her desperation to keep Hunter with her, she had lied about being pregnant. Hunter wasn't a terrible man; he was ecstatic to become a father. But their mother had blown the lid off of Stephanie's entire scheme, and now the divorce was going through while Stephanie tried to use Kurt Angle, freshly released, for revenge.

Triple H had made his triumphant return in January, winning the Royal Rumble and getting a shot at Chris Jericho's Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania X8 the following month. The marital issues didn't seem to bother Hunter all that much; he seemed more focused on getting the title at WrestleMania. It irritated Shane to no end. He couldn't figure out how Hunter could be so calloused at his wife's pain. Shane knew that everything he did always had Rinoa first in mind. So the fact that Hunter was either so oblivious or didn't care just drove him crazy without the fact that Stephanie was his sister.

Rinoa was back in New York, having come down with a flu. He felt terrible leaving her behind, but Rinoa was insistent he go. They had talked about her decision to retire, and she agreed that she'd put some more thought into it so long as Shane didn't say anything to the family just yet. It was a hard decision for her, he knew that.

"Shane-O."

Shane's eyes looked up to see Kurt Angle standing in front of him. Shane stood to his feet. The tension in the room was so thick, that Shane was surprised he could even breathe. Kurt was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt. "What do you want?"

"I, uh, I heard you got married. Congratulations." Kurt wasn't stupid. When Chris and Taker had told him never to say Rinoa's name again, he had listened. Shane's face was dark, his expression almost stoic.

"What do you want?" he repeated. Kurt sighed. He had a match against Triple H in about an hour and Stephanie was going to be the special guest referee.

"I just want you to know that I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you guys. And I just want to let you know that I won't pursue your sister, Shane."

Shane was insulted, disgusted. "Good. You ever lay a hand on another woman in this company, and I'll see to it you go right back to the padded room you came from." Kurt was shocked, but knew that Shane's irritation was founded. He nodded.

"That's fair."

"Go get ready for your match." Kurt nodded and left. "Fucking scumball."

"What did I do now?"

Shane turned and looked at the Rock, who had a match against the Undertaker coming up. "All these fucking movies is what you're doing. Do you have any idea how hard it is replacing a guy like you?" He laughed.

"I saw Angle walk away. On his own two feet. You sure you're feeling okay?" Shane smirked.

"Yeah. Fine."

"How's your wife?"

"Fine. She's sick right now, otherwise I might have brought her here."

"You look a little upset. Everything going fine?" he asked. Shane nodded.

"Fine. It's just...well, with Steph staying with us, there isn't a whole lot of newlywed time." Rock nodded, understanding the point that Shane was driving at.

"Well, you guys haven't even taken time for a honeymoon yet, have you?" he asked. Shane shook his head.

"Too busy. You know how it is." Rock nodded.

"Do I ever. Tell your wife I said hello. I gotta go get ready for my match." He nodded. There was a huge surprise in store for the fans tonight. Vince and Shane had been playing it close to the vest for a while, with the exception of a vignette shot a week or two before. Vince was bringing in the New World Order, as in Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, to "destroy" the WWF. For Vince and Shane, it was kind of a perfect lead-in, considering the courts had given Vince a couple months to make new stuff. They were going to be known as the World Wrestling Entertainment within the next two to three months.

"Hey, Shane."

He turned around. Stephanie was standing beside him, looking sad. She was doing good playing the venomous bitch in the ring, but backstage she was completely crumbled. Shane did feel sorry for her, but he and Rinoa had only shaken their heads when she had announced she was pregnant. Rinoa didn't even bother trying to talk Stephanie out of it, citing logistic problems, and instead decided to let Stephanie learn her lesson. Shane had to admit that he was thinking more and more about having kids with Rinoa. He was waiting for her final verdict about retiring from the ring. He was realistic though; if he was having issues with not having alone time with Rinoa, how was he going to be a great father?

He put a comforting arm around his sister. "How are you feeling?" She was already in her referee uniform, her hair crimped wildly.

"I'll be okay, Shane," she assured him. "Um, I wanted to let you know I found a place in Stamford by Mom and Dad's. I'll be moving out sometime this week. I'm sorry to intrude like that."

"Hey – don't even think about it like that. Rinoa and I love having you around." Selfishly, inwardly, he was doing a dance to have some alone time with Rinoa. But he did legitimately feel sorry for his sister. He didn't want her to feel all the pain that divorce would bring. She sighed.

"I should go run things over with Kurt."

"You be careful."

"I know, Shane. I'll see you later." Shane nodded and Stephanie disappeared. Vince made his way over to Shane.

"Am I fucking popular tonight or something?" Shane asked. Vince laughed.

"How's it going?"

"Fine, fine," he replied. "Aside from the fact Kurt Angle just had to talk to me." Shane rolled his eyes. Vince cocked an eyebrow. "It's fine, Dad. I didn't kill the guy."

"I noticed Rinoa's not here."

"She came down with the flu, Dad. She's at home recovering."

"Sick? Grandkids already?" Vince asked. Shane flushed and shook his head.

"No, Dad. Rinoa and I haven't even talked about kids." He shook his head. "A little anxious?"

"Well, I'd love to have grandkids before I die," Vince told him. Shane laughed. "Is Rinoa okay with having kids? Do you know if she's planning on coming back?"

"I don't know. Rinoa's keeping pretty close to the vest." Shane felt bad for not telling his father that Rinoa was contemplating retirement, but Rinoa had to get her mind in order. "I think the idea of being on the same roster as Kurt Angle kind of scares her."

Vince nodded. "I'll work around that. But talk to Rinoa, all right?"

"I will, Dad." Vince gave Shane a slap on the back.

"Thanks, Shane O. I'll leave you to watch the show." Vince disappeared down the hall to talk to the Undertaker and the Rock. Shane sighed; he missed Rinoa. He really didn't want her to retire. He wanted her around as much as he could have her. He missed her.


	9. Rolling Towards WrestleMania X8

**Chapter Nine: Rolling Towards WrestleMania X8**

"Rinoa, you sexy bitch!"

Rinoa laughed as she gave Trish Stratus a hug. They were in Hartford, Connecticut for a taping of Monday night Raw, and Shane had talked Rinoa into going. Stephanie had agreed to keep Kurt Angle away from Rinoa, which was a tricky feat, since Stephanie had aligned herself with Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho. Chris had been a little iffy about following Kurt Angle around, but when Stephanie had informed him that Shane was bringing Rinoa, he was almost ready to put a tracking device on his back.

Rinoa was smiling. WrestleMania x8 in Toronto was looking incredible. The Rock had challenged Hulk Hogan a week before and the entire wrestling community was buzzing at the Icon vs. Icon match between the two greats. "Jesus, married life's been doing wonders for you. You look terrific!"

"Thanks, Trish," she replied. "You getting excited for WrestleMania?" Trish was slated to be in a triple threat match against Jazz and Lita for Jazz's Women's Championship. The feud between Trish and Lita, the competitive streak between the two women, present since their debuts in 2000, was picking up someting fierce.

"Yeah. This is the first WrestleMania where I'll actually be competing," she replied. "I'm pretty psyched. In my hometown, no less." She looked at Rinoa, a fellow Canadian. "Are you flying your parents out for it?"

"I was thinking about it. I'm really looking forward to Rock-Hogan."

"You and half the Western Hemisphere. They're saying that WrestleMania tickets are already just about sold out."

"Already?" Rinoa was impressed. "I'm worried about Ric Flair taking on the Undertaker." It had been no secret, Taker had been a little moodier than usual in the backstage area as of late. To say he was a bit ornery was something of an understatement. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"I think I saw him at catering," Trish replied. "Can't miss him. The seven footer in a big jersey." Rinoa laughed. "Hey – the girls and I are all going out for coffee at the end of the show. You want to come out for it?"

"Sure. I'll let Shane know. Meet at the Divas locker room after the show?" Trish nodded and Rinoa said her goodbyes.

Taker, in his big red Big Evil Pain Sindicate hoodie, was standing at the coffee table, stirring a cup of coffee. He took a sip as he felt a tap on his shoulder. "This better be good..." he growled, turning. He saw Rinoa, dressed demurely in a pair of black bell bottoms and a red button-down shirt and his expression softened. "Rinoa. When the hell did you get here?"

"A little while ago. Shane talked me into coming out. What's with the moodswings I'm hearing about, Deadman?"

He sighed. "No moodswings, Rinoa."

"You threw Maven through a popcorn machine." He smiled at the memory.

"Sometimes the new guys have to learn in order to be great."

"Sure. So you looking to go 10-0 at Mania this year?" He nodded.

"Ric Flair's a tough opponent, but hell...I'm the Deadman."

"Ah...I forgot how humble you are." He laughed and hugged her. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine," she replied with a smile. "Everything's been going good. Stephanie's been staying with us while things have been getting settled between her and Hunter."

Taker frowned. "You and Shane are newlyweds. You shouldn't be doing that shit." Rinoa shrugged.

"She's part of the family. It doesn't really bother me." His expression softened. Taker kind of reminded Rinoa of an old bulldog.

"So long as it doesn't bother you," he told her. He handed her a cup of coffee and she mixed in sugar and cream. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Trish wants me to have a girls night out with the Divas," she replied. "So I thought I'd tell Shane not to wait up for me and go have a night out with the girls. I haven't been out with my friends in so long..." Taker felt his heart go out to her. He ran a hand over her head.

"Be safe out there tonight."

"I will."

"I've got to go. I'm off to torment Ric just a little bit more." Rinoa nodded and watched as the Deadman made his way down the arena halls.

She felt two arms encircle her waist. "Hey, beautiful. There you are."

She turned and looked into the eyes of her husband. "Hey, Shane. Um, Trish invited me out with some of the girls tonight, and I thought I'd go with them, if that's okay."

"You know it is." He kissed her forehead. "You have fun with the girls. I'm heading out with a few of the guys tonight anyways. Meet back at the hotel at two?"

"You know it." He kissed her softly. "Get yourself over to the Divas locker room and get ready and I'll see you at home." She nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

"Guys, guys! Good Lord! I need to breathe!"

Trish and Terri laughed, but threw a white midriff-baring halter top at Rinoa. "Put that on with..." Trish found a pair of white vinyl pants. "These!"

"Are you out of your damn mind? I'll wear the white top, but I'm not sandwiching myself into white vinyl pants." The girls laughed. Rinoa changed into the white top.

"So Shane was fine with you coming out with us?"

"Of course he was. Why wouldn't he be? He's going out with the guys tonight, so we agreed to meet at home at about two."

"That's so sweet," Terri replied, lacing up the front of her black leather corset top. She was dressed in a black miniskirt with black stilettos, her bleached blonde hair brushed stylishly around her face. Rinoa was weirded out by Terri; the woman seemed to wear too much makeup and looked as though she'd had some work done. Trish was dressed in a black dress that clung to every curve. Her hair was back in a high ponytail that seemed to suit how she looked.

"Who's all coming out?"

"Lita, Molly, Ivory, Terri, you and I."

"Are the others meeting us there?"

"Yeah," Trish replied. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah," Rinoa replied with a sigh, gathering her purse. "Let's head out." Trish put an arm around her good friend and they left the Divas locker room, chattering excitedly.


	10. A Decision for WrestleMania

**Chapter Ten: A Decision For WrestleMania**

Vince and Linda had decided to have a housewarming party at Stephanie's new condo and Shane and Rinoa were expected to go. Shane was more than willing to go, however, he was itching for some alone time with Rinoa. It just didn't seem easy with their line of work. They pulled up to the driveway of the condo, Rinoa dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white sweater, while Shane was dressed in a regular white T-shirt with blue jeans and a pair of brown shoes. Vince and Linda were already there, their car parked beside Stephanie's. Sliding his hand into Rinoa's they made their way up to the door. Shane rang the doorbell and Stephanie answered the door. She looked pretty good considering she had been so miserable at their home and backstage with everything going on between her and Hunter. She was dressed in a black spaghetti strapped tank top and blue jeans, her hair down around her face. "Hey, guys. Dad's out back grilling. Noa, he wants to talk to you." Rinoa cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you know what about?"

"No. He just wants you to talk to him."

"He's out back?" Stephanie nodded and she turned to Shane. "I'll be right back." Shane nodded and she made her way through the house.

"This is quite a place, Steph," Shane replied. It was more or less whitewashed, with white walls and white carpeting, with baby blue sheer windows in the living room. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm all right," Stephanie confessed. "I miss him, but it's one of those things you have to get used to, you know?" Shane nodded. "Chris and I are doing everything we can to keep that title off of Hunter at WrestleMania, but I know how it's going to go. Hunter's going to get the title off of Chris. Chris is just not taking it seriously enough." Shane nodded. He was so glad he wasn't involved with that aspect of life in front of the camera. There was a tense, awkward silence in the room and Shane took it as an opportunity to change the subject.

"You're unpacked already, huh?" She nodded.

"I left most of the stuff with Hunter, so I just ordered some new stuff. Anything to make it so that I didn't have to go back there." Shane nodded. He understood that it was difficult to have to constantly look at her ex-husband. Shane at that moment wouldn't have been surprised if she went on a self-imposed exile after WrestleMania. Shane had put himself on a self-imposed exile in front of the camera after the invasion had fallen through, just focusing on the backstage stuff, and it was a little bit less stressful. He enjoyed the break, even though he was surprised at the fan following he was starting to attract.

"Do you know what Dad wants to talk to Rinoa about?" Shane asked. Stephanie shook her head.

"He's playing it pretty close to the vest. He just said to send her outside when she got here." Shane nodded. He looked around.

"Where's Mom?"

"In the kitchen. Come on. You and I will talk to Mom while Dad deals with Rinoa." Shane nodded and followed Stephanie towards the kitchen. "I could use a drink anyways."

Rinoa opened the back door and stepped out onto the deck, where Vince was grilling steaks. He turned to Rinoa and smiled. "Hello, Rinoa. Shane's in the kitchen with Stephanie and Linda, I suppose." Rinoa smiled.

"Yeah. The way Stephanie made it seem was that you wanted to speak to me in private." Vince nodded.

"Have you thought about coming back to the ring?" Rinoa sighed.

"I've got to see the doctor for a followup to see if they'll clear me, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing physically keeping me from competing."

"I understand there's a bit of a fear about facing Kurt Angle." Rinoa nodded.

"No offense, but you guys can't keep locking him in his locker room when I come out to the shows." Vince nodded.

"Look, we'll keep the schedule sparse at the beginning, but I promise you that I have something big planned. Please, Rinoa. I know it's been a rough year for you, but you are one of our best Divas."

"Can I think about it a little bit?"

"Can you think about it and let me know before WrestleMania? I would love to set something up at WrestleMania for you." She nodded. "And don't tell Shane. We'll surprise him." He flashed Rinoa a smile and she couldn't help but smile back. She felt valued.

"I'll let you know in the next week." Vince nodded.

"How has your neck been feeling?"

"All right," she replied. "I guess it's just dealing with the other stuff."

"How has the therapist been?"

"Good. Shane comes with me every now and then and it seems to be doing wonders for the two of us."

"He really loves you, you know."

"I know," Rinoa replied with a soft smile crossing her features. "I love him very much." Just then, as if on cue, the back door opened and Shane stepped out, approaching his wife.

"Hey, you two. Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Rinoa replied. "Vince was just running through some ideas for a few of the signings with me."

"Anything good?"

"Sure. I was thinking about having Rinoa do a little bit of managing." Shane cocked an eyebrow and looked at Rinoa, who looked just as surprised. "I think Randy Orton could use a manager." He smiled. "Steaks are ready, Shane O. We should probably get this in before the ladies get antsy." He pulled the steaks off the grill and handed the plate to Shane, who walked into the house first.

"Vince, I'm not much of a manager," Rinoa confessed.

"Well, let me know how soon you can get back in the ring, Rinoa. Randy Orton could learn a lot from a veteran like you." She nodded. She had a lot to think about when she got home. But if Randy was a third generation guy, then there was no way he really needed her wisdom

"Oh, Shane..."

It was late, the time was something that had eluded Rinoa since they had left Stephanie's. Shane had been extraordinarily affectionate since they had gotten home, Shane being completely ecstatic that he had alone time with Rinoa. Her eyes slowly opened to look up at her husband, who was moving ever so slowly inside her. Her hands were grasped tightly on his arms. It had been an amazing night between the two of them, with Shane unable to keep his hands off of her from the second they walked through the door.

"I love you, Rinoa," he told her, kissing her forehead softly. He quickened his pace a little bit, causing Rinoa to take in a sharp breath. Her eyes were almost glazing over with pleasure as she rubbed her hands up his arms, gripping his shoulders tightly as she felt the familiar feeling of an approaching release. She circled her legs around Shane's waist as she tried to keep her breathing under control, her soft whimpers and cries, mixed with his grunts and groans, filling the otherwise silent room. When it was over, he took a couple minutes, looking down at his wife, reveling in how beautiful she looked, flushed in the dim moonlight that came through the slits of the blinds. He couldn't help the euphoric feeling of love he felt for her, how lucky he was that she was still with him. With another soft kiss to her forehead, he moved off of her, afraid of crushing her under his weight. He pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his chest.

"Dad doesn't want you to retire, does he?" he said after a while of silence. His fingers were moving up and down her arms, feeling the goosebumps the chilly night had created on her arms. "Did you tell him you were thinking about it?" He felt Rinoa's hair brushing against his bare chest as she shook her head.

"I don't have the heart to," she confessed. "He seemed so excited to have me back in full capacity."

"Managing Randy Orton."

"Do I detect a little jealousy?" Shane laughed.

"Nah."

"Shane, what do you think?"

"About...?"

"About me coming back to the ring?" Shane smiled, draping his other arm around her waist and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Rinoa, if you're happy, then I'm happy. Personally, I would love to have you back, and travel with you." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "What did Dad say about...you know...?"

"He said he had something huge planned, and until then he said he's going to keep my schedule pretty light." Shane nodded.

"Has he given you a deadline?"

"He wants me to get back to him soon. I guess before they bring Randy up in April."

He smiled. "Well, just take your time and think about it. I'll support your decision no matter what you do." Rinoa smiled and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I love you, Shane."

"Love you too, Noa. Now get some sleep." She nestled her head into his chest and within minutes he could hear her breathing slow down. Kissing the top of her forehead, he rested against her a little bit more and fell asleep.


	11. Making The Decision

**Chapter Eleven: Making The Decision**

While Shane went out to help Stephanie move some furniture into her new condo, Rinoa had decided to take the time to clean up around the house a little bit. Not that they had time to make a huge mess, but she was still in the process of unpacking and repacking stuff for Shane's trip to Toronto for WrestleMania X8. Shane told her he'd be back in time for dinner and Rinoa had nodded serenely. There wasn't a whole lot she could do at Stephanie's house and truth be told, she didn't really feel like going out. She wanted to take the time to think about what Vince wanted her to do. WrestleMania was coming up pretty fast, that Sunday, and Vince really wanted to know what she had intentions of doing.

She knew Vince would protect her from Kurt Angle if need be, now that everyone knew just how dangerous the man could be. But regardless of the protection Vince and the boys would offer, she was still just plain afraid to face him. The thought of it set her stomach in knots every time she was backstage. She always felt her heart in her throat whenever she saw somebody who even vaguely resembled him on the street. She figured if she thought he didn't know where she was the first time, what would stop him from finding her a second time, even a third time. It wasn't a way to live her life, but she wasn't quite sure how she was going to get past the fear of seeing him.

Dr. Salinas had told her it would be a good idea to get back in the ring, that the travel and the close contact with friends would do her a lot of good. Rinoa knew she had a valid point, but she also knew that she had a lot of ring rust to work off because she hadn't even bothered to get back into training in the last six months. Sure, she had worked out, but she hadn't been running the ropes. Between getting married, and dealing with the police and getting over some of the trauma that had occurred, nobody really faulted her if training had slipped her mind. She was still trying to weigh the pros and the cons of a return without giving away too much to everybody. Vince was really guarded with WrestleMania; he gave out what information he could to the shareholders and the buyers and advertisors, but everything else, he wanted to be a surprise. It was why he had urged Rinoa not to say a word to her husband, and just deal with it between the two of them privately.

Rinoa made her way into the laundry room and pulled the laundry out of the dryer, placing it in the laundry bin and taking it up to the bedroom. She sighed; the idea of going back was almost scary, even though she knew that all of her friends were there. Chris would want her back. So would Trish. And she knew Shane would love the opportunity of having her with him all the time again. At least when he traveled to the tapings. She sighed, folding one of his shirts. She supposed she was going stircrazy wanting to get back under the lights. It had been so long since she had felt the adrenaline course through her veins. Being under the lights with the fans screaming her name had made her feel alive, and it was something that she still itched for time and time again.

She put the shirt down on the bed and stood to her feet, pacing back and forth. She was married to Shane now; she had to remember now that things were different. She was worried that the girls were going to think differently of her every time she held the Women's Championship now. It wouldn't be about the accomplishments and accolades she had made overseas and in WCW; it would be about her being Rinoa McMahon. She sighed; it seemed like Vince wanted her out of the title race – maybe in the beginning – to manage Randy Orton, another third generation Superstar that Vince had high hopes for. Rinoa sighed; she hoped Randy was a nice guy. She knew she would have to travel with him, show him the ropes and make sure he stays in line, and even if he was a total prick, she still had to work with him. She was a little afraid to work with him, maybe because she didn't know him or she was translating everything with Kurt to everyone else, but she would never tell Vince or Shane that.

WrestleMania X8 in Toronto, Ontario, was going to be a rocketbuster. Hulk Hogan and the Rock, Undertaker and Ric Flair, Jericho and Triple H. Rinoa really wondered how anything she could possibly be involved in would stack up. Hell, Saliva and Drowning Pool were going to be playing two tracks each, one track from their albums and one track from their recordings on Forceable Entry. She had to admit that although she was excited for the matches, she was definitely just as excited for the bands.

She sighed. Retiring would be letting Kurt win. And she knew that wasn't right. Vince was showing her backstage stuff, and Rinoa was trying to come to terms with the fact that perhaps her career as a WWF Diva was wearing down, if not completely over as a result of what happened. Marrying Shane had her thinking about children and settling down, and they were thoughts that definitely scared her. She wasn't about to admit that, though. Everyone talking to her about having kids, yet not wanting her to retire was confusing her. She also knew that if she ended her career now, her legacy would have been "cut short by a neck injury by a brutal home invasion". She didn't know if she could live with that. But again, it provided her with the perfect excuse to get out now, and leave Kurt Angle to the boys in the locker room.

It wasn't easy being away from Shane, though. She knew it. He was having just as difficult of a time being away from her so much. Sometimes, late night phone calls just didn't do anything. He was calling to tell her good night, and she was telling him good morning. She tried to fold a pair of pants again, but she kept looking at the phone. She knew Vince needed an answer right away. Before the bookers got gung ho with mapping out the night. She sighed again in irritation. She didn't know what she was going to do. She wanted to have the decision to Vince before Shane got home from Stephanie's.

Making her way over to the phone, she lifted the receiver off the cradle and dialed Vince. "Vince McMahon."

"Hey, Dad, it's Rinoa."

"Hey, Rinoa. I'm assuming you're calling to give me your decision."

"Yeah."


	12. WrestleMania X8

**Chapter Twelve: WrestleMania X8**

68, 237 people crowded into Toronto's SkyDome for WrestleMania X8 and Vince couldn't be happier to know that they had yet again shattered another attendance record. It had told him just how grand of a spectacle WrestleMania had become, how successful his grand vision had been in the end. The lights went down and the crowd began to cheer.

"Forfeit the game before somebody else takes you out of the frame...put your name to shame, cover up your face, you can't run the race the pace is too fast; you just won't last!"

The lights flared up, red and purple, and Rinoa walked out, dressed in a pair of black bell bottoms and a glittering white halter, jumping around enthusiastically as the fans screamed in excitement at her appearance. She began to make her way down the entrance ramp, making her way towards the ring. Unfortunately for her, Vince had the ramp set extra long and it felt like it was taking forever just to walk to the ring._ Taker's a lucky guy tonight_, she thought to herself, amused._ At least he was on the bike._ Rinoa smiled and slapped hands with the fans. "Welcome back, Rinoa!" a young guy screamed from the second row behind the barricade. She offered a loud thanks and continued to slap hands before making her way up the steps. Her adrenaline was pumping; she forgot how amazing being in the ring felt again. She knew it was an adrenaline rush, but she forgot just how surreal the feeling was. She made her way over to the other side of the ring and got Lilian Garcia to hand her a microphone before taking her place in the ring and waiting for her theme to fade.

Shane approached his father. "The fuck's going on? When did Rinoa get here?" He looked at his dad. "You had this planned, don't you?"

"Yes. I had it planned for her to come out here. What isn't planned is what she's going to say, so will you shut up and let me hear this?" Shane sighed, shaking his head at his father before looking back at the screen.

"Wow," Rinoa breathed into the microphone, trying to get everybody to calm down. "I don't think I've ever seen so many people jammed into one arena. That's WrestleMania for you." The crowd roared at the mention of sports entertainment's greatest spectacle. She smiled. "This is incredible. I'm so happy to be part of the festivities, but I have to get something off of my chest before the show can continue. You guys okay with that?" The fans roared. "I promise I won't take too much time. I know you all want to see Rock-Hogan just like me." They screamed in adulation for Hulk Hogan and the Rock. Rinoa smiled. _It's gonna be a tough one for the Great One tonight_, she tought. _Crowd is split right down the middle. _

"I've been doing a lot of reading lately on my time off, and well, there was something I read that I felt I needed to address." She made her way to one side of the ring and one of her feet on the bottom rope.

"Now, there's a lot of speculation going around in this little wrestling community of ours that my injury was more serious than expected. Couldn't be further from the truth. But what I really need to address are the retirement rumors." The crowd began to jeer at the word retirement. "Hey, hey. Even the greats need to calL it a day sometimes. Sometimes we need to know when to hang it up. But as for me retiring..." She looked at the fans and at that moment everything became clear to her.

"Who in the hell was the idiot behind _that_ rumor? I still got a lot of years to give," she added as the fans began to roar and cheer.

"Now, there's another reason I'm out here," she said with a smile. "I'm supposed to be the special guest ring announcer for the next match, so let's get this show on the road!" The bell was rang. Rinoa was nervous. She'd never done ring announcing before. "Ladies and gentlemen, the following match is a four corners elimination match for the WWF World Tag Team Championship." The fans cheered and the missiles for the Dudleyz shot from above to the entrance ramp. A live guitar began to pick up and Saliva began to play their track off of Forceable Entry. The Dudleyz made their way onto the ramp with their manager Stacy Keibler close behind. She and Stacy hadn't seen eye to eye since her and Torrie Wilson had bailed Kurt Angle out of jail. They made their way over to where Saliva was playing and began to mosh. They left Saliva and made their way down towards the ring.

"First, making their way down to the ring, accompanied by Stacy Keibler, weighing at a combined total of five hundred and eighty-five pounds, from Dudleyville, Bubba Ray and D-Von. The Dudley Boyz." They were still trudging down the ramp. They finally made it to the ring, with Stacy shamelessly flaunting herself on the ring apron. Rinoa could visibly see that her shorts weren't covering her buttocks, and Rinoa rolled her eyes. _Her contribution to the industry in a nutshell._ Normally, Rinoa wasn't so catty about such things, but Stacy had really put herself on her bad side. The music faded and Rinoa shook her head. She needed to focus on something more than how much she despised Stacy Keibler.

"You look so good to me..."

"Making their way to the ring, at a combined weight of five hundred and thirty-four pounds...Billy and Chuck." They trudged their way down to the ring, and Rinoa shook her head. She could see Stacy out of the corner of her eye, with the Dudleyz acting as a barrier between her and Stacy.

The hard guitar picked up and the fans cheered as Bradshaw and Faarooq made their way out to the main area. "Coming down to the ring, at a combined weight of five hundred and sixty pounds. Bradshaw, Faarooq...the APA." Bradshaw smiled at Rinoa and from the distance she could see him using a hand gesture to let her know they were all going drinking tonight. A wide smile crossed her features and she nodded and Bradshaw slapped hands with Faarooq before they slid into the ring. Bradshaw stopped and gave Rinoa a quick hug before they played to the crowd.

The lights went down to a purple and blue and the crowd reaction was deafening. Rinoa wasn't even sure if she was going to be able to hear herself on the microphone over the pop. "And, hailing from Cameron, North Carolina, at a combined weight of four hundred and sixty one pounds...the Hardy Boyz!" She turned and shot Bradshaw a look that more or less had stated she went deaf and exited the ring to make her way backstage.

"We need to talk."

Rinoa turned to see her husband standing against the door in the Divas locker room, arms crossed. Molly was off defending her newly won Hardcore Championship, Trish, Lita and Jazz were all getting last minute workouts in before their triple threat, and the others were out talking to whomever they could. Rinoa smiled. "What about, Shane O?"

"How long have you been keeping this a secret? Hell, when did you even get in? I wouldn't have minded having you around last night." She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Shane, it's not a big deal. Dad said he wanted it to be a secret. To be honest, I didn't get back to him until pretty close to the show." She smiled. "I was even considering announcing my retirement right up until I said I wasn't retiring." Shane smiled and wrapped her in his arms.

"Well, I'm glad you're not retiring. You, Trish and Lita are our best."

"You're just saying that so you can get some tonight." He pulled back and smirked before giving her a kiss.

"You couldn't turn me down if you tried." She laughed.

"No. I couldn't. Bradshaw invited me out drinking with the guys tonight." Shane smiled.

"I know. I'm going with. Bradshaw and I are having a little contest."

Rinoa's eyes widened. "Shane, what kind of a contest?"

"A JD contest..."

"Who is all coming? There is no way that I can drag your ass back to the hotel room by myself."

"Well, Chris is coming, Steph is coming, Taker's coming, and we even managed to talk the Rock into coming." She cocked an eyebrow. She knew how rare that was. The Rock always went right back to his hotel afterwards to call his wife. Especially since his wife was expecting their first child in August. "Yes, I talked to him myself and he said he's coming. And Steve is coming out." Steve was back to enjoying life since he and Debra had split up. It had been real ugly; a PR nightmare for Vince. But he had managed to handle it discreetly, with the exception of a mugshot of Steve circulating the internet.

"Awesome. I should talk to Trish when she's finished."

"No dice. Trish has a date tonight. Chris tried. You know, between you and I, I think he had a bit of a crush on Miss Stratus."

"You think so?"

"I think so. Anyway, she's going on a date with Maven tonight."

"I thought Maven was dating Torrie."

"I guess they broke up."

"Point taken. It's hard to keep track of those sluts." Shane chuckled.

"Put your claws back in, beautiful."

"What? Shane, you're such a buzzkill." He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly.

"You love me either way. Now, I have to get back to Brisco. I'll see you after the show." He gave her one more kiss, this one filled with enough passion to make Rinoa feel weak in the knees. He pulled back and flashed her a smile before leaving the locker room. She shook her head and went over to her duffel bag, pulling out a black miniskirt and an emerald green corset top. It felt good to be back in the swing of things. Changing into her clothing, she slid on a pair of heels and made her way into the bathroom with the makeup bag. She wanted to be ready in time to watch Hulk Hogan and Rock's match. There was no way she intended to miss a second of it.


	13. Meeting Randy Orton

**Chapter Thirteen: Meeting Randy Orton**

Just after WrestleMania X8, Rinoa was sent down to Ohio Valley Wrestling to hone her skills a little bit. With Shane away on business to do some more promotions, Vince thought it would be a perfect opportunity to meet with and align herself with Randy Orton, that way when they brought him up to the main roster in April they would already be an established pairing. She had to admit she was nervous. He was a third generation athlete, and she was pretty sure Vince informed him that he could learn a thing or two from her. She figured he could have learned a fair amount from his father, grandfather, and all the guys he had grown up with and traveled with since he decided to follow in their footsteps.

She entered the OVW training facility and was promptly greeted by Michael Hayes, a former member of the Fabulous Freebirds tag team. "Hey, Rinoa. How's it going?"

"Great. What's the game plan for tonight?"

"Didn't Vince tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"We're turning you heel."

Rinoa was surprised. "Oh?"

"Vince failed to mention it, didn't he?"

"It's after WrestleMania. He's really busy," she replied in his defense. Michael nodded.

"Anyways, it'll be a mixed tag team. You and a young guy named Rico Constantino against Randy and Serena. At the end of the match, which Randy and Serena are going to win, you and Randy are going to go after Rico."

"What about Serena?"

"What about her? She'll get her clock cleaned too. You know how it goes." Rinoa nodded. "I know you'll want to meet Randy Orton. I told him that you were coming down to hone your skills a little bit, and he was more than excited to meet you."

"Really?"

"Of course he was. You're a likeable woman, Rinoa."

"Thanks, Mike. Where is his locker room?"

"Down the hall. Last door on the right. He's looking forward to seeing you. We weren't expecting you for a few hours. Taking up the McMahon traits already, huh?" She laughed, a blush tinting her cheeks before she bid him farewell and made her way down towards the locker room.

Randy Orton was jumping from foot to foot, dressed in his blue vinyl shorts and an old Pantera T-shirt. He was getting nervous. Within the next little while, he knew that Vince would be calling him up to the main roster. He had just told him sometime in April, and with March slowly fading into April, he was already feeling the butterflies. He was a little bummed that he missed WrestleMania this year, with a huge card like Rock-Hogan, but he was excited to know that he'd be around for the next year's. There was a knock on the door. "Yeah?"

The door opened and he turned to see a brunette in front of him, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white button down shirt. She was definitely an attractive woman. "Can I help you?"

"Randy Orton. I'm not quite sure if you remember me. I sat in on your contract signing..."

It hit him. "Hi," he laughed, shaking her hand. "I'm really sorry, I can't really remember your name..."

"Rinoa."

"Rinoa. That's a pretty unique name. I'm amazed I didn't remember it." He sat down on a nearby bench. "What brings you down to OV?"

"Honing some skills. I've been recovering from a neck injury, so Vince thought I'd be more suited to some warm up matches down here. How are you doing? You getting excited to come up to the main roster?"

Randy nodded. "It's pretty nerve-wracking though." She shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. You're third generation. You'll find your own niche in no time. You have a bit of an advantage, especially since The Rock is going back and forth between movies so much." Randy nodded. "So, did Hayes run down the plan for the night?" He nodded. "I have to admit, Randy, I'm not much of a manager."

"How hard can it be?" he teased. "A blindside here and there, a trip up..." She laughed.

"Good point." They laughed. "So how old are you, Randy? You don't look more than twenty."

"Twenty-two," he told her with a smile.

"Where are you from originally?"

"St. Louis. How about you?"

"I'm Canadian. I'm from British Columbia."

"When'd you trade in Canada for the US?"

"When I joined WCW. They didn't really do a whole lot of Canadian shows, especially when I was starting there. I don't think they started until Bret Hart joined us in like 98, 99."

"So why did you sign with Vince?"

"You ever hear about some of the stuff they've said about WCW in the past?" she asked. He nodded. "It was all true." He laughed.

"How is it in WWF?" he asked. She smiled.

"It's more or less like any other locker room, just with a lot more people running around. The veterans run things, and that's the way it should be. Guys like the Undertaker haven't busted their ass for twelve years not to have some kind of power."

"Have you met the Undertaker?"

"Of course."

"Is he cool?"

"Total teddy bear. Don't tell him I said that though; it might go to his head." They laughed.

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one who could get away calling the Undertaker a teddy bear," he told her.

"Probably," she said with a shrug. Just then, the door opened and two men walked in. One had dark hair and was already in his ring gear, while the other was dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jean shorts. He had short brown hair and outstanding blue eyes. Rinoa looked up and stood to her feet.

"Guys, this is Rinoa," Randy replied. "Rinoa, this guy over here in the tights is your partner for tonight, Rico, and this nimrod right here is John Cena."

"Hi," she said. John shook her hand and cocked an eyebrow.

"You were at the signing thing, right?"

"Yeah, I was."

"Glad to hear you weren't retiring." Rinoa smiled. "Seriously...I've been following you since WCW. You're one of the best." She smiled.

"Thanks. Means a lot to hear that."

"What an asskisser," Randy whispered to Rico, who nodded in agreement. Cena flashed them the middle finger and the guys slapped hands. Rinoa shook her head. "I'm going to go get ready for tonight, so I'll see you guys later to run over some things." The guys nodded and Rinoa left.

"She's quite the fox, isn't she?" Rico asked. A low whistle escaped Cena's lips.

"Man, don't let Shane McMahon catch you saying that," Cena replied with a shake of his head.

"Why?"

"That's his wife," Randy informed him.

"No shit."

"Rinoa McMahon?"

Rinoa jolted and turned to see a young woman with light brown hair, dressed in white vinyl shorts, white boots, and a white midriff baring vinyl top. She smiled; the girl in front of her was pretty. "That would be me. You are?"

"Serena. I'm teaming with Randy Orton tonight."

"Hi, Serena. It's nice to meet you."

"I just wanted to run through what's going to happen after the match," she replied. "Since you're going to be the one cleaning house on me." Rinoa laughed.

"I'm thinking about keeping it pretty basic," Rinoa replied. "A couple shots, maybe a kick, and a launch over the top rope. I want you to do me a favor though."

"What's that?"

"Battle back. I want to make you look just as good out there. We need to make it seem like you put up a hell of a fight, but were outnumbered by the heels. It'll get you a nice fan reaction when they turn on me." She nodded, laughing. "How's life on the OVW side?"

"Good, good," she replied. "You know how it is. Working in the hopes of getting up to the main roster." Rinoa nodded. "How long have you been a wrestler for?"

"Since I was eighteen."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"So that's...six years. Wow."

"Figure I can retire early," she laughed.

"I heard you got married. Hayes was raving about it."

"I gathered that when you referred to me as McMahon," Rinoa replied with a soft laugh.

"Have you thought about kids?" Rinoa laughed.

"Everyone keeps asking me if we are. It's so funny. Right now, Shane and I don't have the time. Especially since I'm still competing. I'm going to imagine that it's going to be a full time job keeping Mr. Orton in line." She nodded.

"You have no idea how many women that man has chased out of this business," she replied. Rinoa laughed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if one of these days he gives the great Ric Flair a run for his money with his antics." Serena agreed and Rinoa went to her bag and began to rifle through for her clothing for the night. She changed into a pair of pinstripe pants and a pinstripe vest that showed off enough arm and cleavage. She gave her hair a toss, applied some lip gloss and some mascara.

Randy Orton made his way out to the ring. He was pretty upset his dad wasn't managing him anymore, but Rinoa seemed nice enough. He was going to be managed by a McMahon, which told him he had to remain on the straight and narrow as much as he could. He was pretty sure she wasn't going to cut him any sort of slack. Serena made her way out to a round of raucous boos. She slid into the ring and took her place beside Randy Orton.

Rico's music started and he made his way through the walkway and stopped in front of the ring. "Points of Authority" started and the people cheered raucously as Rinoa made her way out, slapping hands with Rico. The fans were roaring for Rinoa, and it filled her with this guilty feeling of joy to know that by the end of the night, they were going to be booing her relentlessly.

The match went on without a hitch, with Rinoa impressed by everybody's athleticism. She knew eventually everyone would make it up to the main roster, with the exception of herself and Randy, who was going to be along very quickly. Randy won the match after hitting an Overdrive on Rico. The bell was rung and Rinoa instantly attacked Serena, trading shots back and forth with her. Rinoa blocked a shot and doubled her over with a hard shot. Grabbing her by the back of her head, she launched her over the ring rope before turning her attention to Randy. Randy had Rico in a full nelson and was attempting to subdue him. Rinoa traded smiles with Randy before leveling Rico with a hard slap. The fans gasped in surprise and Randy threw Rico facedown to the canvas. He made his way over to Rinoa and raised her hand high as they leveled the two of them with a lackluster reaction. Rinoa was a little disappointed.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," he whispered. "The fans aren't really getting behind Rico as much as they could be." She nodded. "You did great." She nodded. She couldn't help it, but she was definitely looking forward to working with Randy Orton. She knew the guy had a bright future ahead of him.

"Hello?"

"Hey, honey. How was your night?"

"Fine. I just got in," she replied.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I went and hung out with some of the OV guys. They're all pretty cool."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know Randy Orton a little bit more. If I'm going to be stuck showing him the ropes I might as well get to know the guy."

"Well, I'm sure he appreciates that. He knows you're married right?"

She laughed. "Yes, Shane O. Vince introduces me as Rinoa McMahon to anyone who meets him." Shane laughed. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Relaxing. I'm exhausted, but we've made great headway with getting WWE promotional things in China. You wouldn't believe how hard it is with the government here." She nodded. "We're going to be edited like crazy, it seems like, but I think we're going to pull it off."

"That's great."

"What about you?"

"I am exhausted and Vince wants me back at tapings to do a segment with Stacy Keibler."

"You going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Shane. You don't have to really worry about me. Worry about Stacy's face." Shane laughed. She yawned. "I'm going to go to bed, sweetheart. I miss you, and I wish you were here."

"I wish you were here, too. I'll call you tomorrow."

"I love you."

"Love you too, gorgeous. Get some sleep." With that, the phone went silent.


	14. The Reunion

**Chapter Fourteen: The Reunion**

Dressed in a black spaghetti-strapped sundress, Rinoa stood at the coffee table, stirring a cup of coffee. Shane was at the Gorilla with Jack Brisco, taking care of some things before the show. He'd be preoccupied for a few hours. Rinoa sipped her coffee; it tasted better than the stuff they had at WrestleMania. Life was still rolling on Raw. Triple H was the champion, having defeated Chris Jericho and leveling Stephanie with a Pedigree. The Rock had defeated Hulk Hogan, and was getting ready to have a return match with the Undertaker at Backlash. Jazz had retained her Women's Championship, and now Trish was steadfastly chasing after her while Lita resumed her duties with Team Xtreme. Even in her absence, everything had moved on without her, and she had to admit that there were days where she still felt lost in the shuffle. Her thoughts were cut short by a catty voice.

"Wow, look at you. You haven't hit the gym very much on your time off, have you?"

Rinoa shook her head in disgust and turned to Stacy Keibler, who was dressed in a little skirt and a white midriff baring halter top, her blonde hair brushed around her face. She put her coffee down on the table and turned her attention to Stacy. "What do you want, Stacy?"

"Nothing. I just thought you and I would have a little talk."

"What's there to talk about Stacy? Did you want to talk about how Jeff Hardy spanked and humiliated you at WrestleMania?" Stacy smirked and shook her head.

"You wish you had half the men paying attention to you that I do," she snapped with a smirk. "Sluts like you usually do."

"That's funny that you're calling me the slut. I thought I saw your number on the wall in the men's locker room."

"You bitch..." Stacy went to swing her hand, but Rinoa blocked it, grabbed Stacy by the back of the head and slammed her face into the table, sending Stacy down to the ground. She crouched down to Stacy.

"You and I go back a long ways, Stacy," she murmured, a smile crossing her face. "So you'd figure you would have learned your lesson after all the time I kicked your ass in WCW. Sluts like you usually do." She stood to her feet and smiled as Stacy struggled to sit up, holding her forehead. "Have a good night." With that, Rinoa stormed off down the hallway as Bubba Dudley rushed to Stacy's aid, shooting an impressed, admiration filled gaze in Rinoa's direction. She knew the Dudleyz didn't really care that much for Stacy Keibler.

Rinoa was making her way down the halls of the arena towards the locker room when she was grabbed. She instantly panicked and turned, swinging wildly.

"Jesus Christ! Calm the hell down, killer!"

She saw the Undertaker standing behind her and she sighed. "Sorry, Deadman," she breathed sheepishly. "For future references, don't ever grab me like that again." His expression softened from the tension that had only marred his features a few minutes before.

"Sorry, Rinoa. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just slammed Stacy Keibler's face off a table. How awesome is that?" He laughed and hugged her close. "How are you tonight?"

"Knees are a bit sore tonight," he confessed. "Otherwise, I seem to be running on all cylinders." She smiled.

"Glad to hear that. I'd hate it when the day comes where we have to lose you." He smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"You're a sweetheart. I've still got a lot of years left." She smiled. "Anyways, I've got to go talk to Vince about a few things, so I will see you around, beautiful. I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you were okay." She nodded and smiled and he gave her a pat on the arm before he made his way down the hall.

With a smile on her face, Rinoa turned to continue her way to the locker room, only to come face to face with Kurt Angle. She instantly felt her stomach jump. "Hi, Rinoa," he told her, a smile on his face. It was promptly taken away when she acted on instinct and hit him in the stomach. While he was hunched over, she hit him with a knee to the face and he staggered back. "Bitch!" he shouted as a few technicians and Superstars looked down the hallway. Chris was at the other end of the hall and he came running down towards them, an ugly scowl etched on his features.

"You ever come near me again," she snarled, "and I'll fucking kill you." With that, she stumbled backwards a bit before taking off quickly down the hall, making her way into the Gorilla and latching onto Shane. His arms were outstretched as she clutched to him and he cocked an eyebrow before encircling his arms around her.

"Rinoa...Rinoa?" He looked at Brisco. "I'm going to take a minute or two." Jack nodded, noticing the look on Rinoa's face and Shane led Rinoa out to the backstage area. He saw Kurt Angle trying to catch his breath, holding his bleeding nose at the same time while Chris Jericho spoke to him. Harsh words, by Shane's estimation, looking at the scowl on his face. Shane smirked and looked at Rinoa. "Jesus, you're beating the hell out of everybody tonight, aren't you?" Rinoa nodded, nestling her head in his chest. His tone softened and he stroked her hair.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm all right. I just needed you. I'm sorry I interrupted you."

"Don't be sorry." He kissed her forehead. "He knew better than to come near you." He hugged her close to him again. "What do you want to do tonight? You want to head out with the guys?" She shook her head.

"I want to have a quiet night with you," she answered softly, kissing him softly. He smirked.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Anything in mind?" he asked.

"I'd tell you...but it's better to show you later," she answered, kissing his cheek. "Get back to work and I'll see you when the show's over. Sorry I interrupted you." He nodded.

"Don't worry about it. I love you."

"Love you too," she answered and he made his way back to the Gorilla. She spotted Trish coming towards her and she rushed over to her.

"Jesus, Rinoa, did you see the numbers you did on Stacy and Kurt?"

"No, I didn't. I just wanted to get away." Trish laughed.

"Stacy has a monster bruise on her forehead from meeting the table, and they're trying to stop Kurt's nosebleed. They're pretty sure you busted it. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just thought you should know about your handiwork." Rinoa laughed. "You're a total asskicker, Rinoa."

"I can't say that I'm sorry. All he had to do was say hello to me and it was like this...killer instinct took over. I couldn't help it." She shook her head. "I can only imagine how impressed Vince is going to be with me for maiming two of his talents...in Stacy's case, I use the term talent loosely." Trish nodded in agreement.

"He knew better than to come near you," Trish replied with a roll of her eyes. "Anything after that he deserves." Trish smiled. "Did you want to come out with us after the show tonight?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I'm having some alone time with Shane tonight. It's been incredibly difficult getting any sort of alone time with Shane. If Stephanie's not visiting, Vince and Linda are calling, or Shane's off on business, or I'm going between here and OVW." She shook her head. "I almost regret that I didn't go overseas with Shane." Trish laughed.

"You'll get some alone time eventually, Rinoa," Trish replied. "Eventually, you two will realize that for the sake of your marriage you'll need some time just for the two of you." She nodded. Rinoa didn't want to seem like a bitch for complaining, but the fact that everybody was around was making things difficult for her to have alone time with Shane. She couldn't count the number of times Stephanie had interrupted them during moments of intimacy. Or how many times Vince and Linda would call during a quiet night in to talk business. Rinoa knew that this business was in their blood, but there were just some nights where she just wished for alone time with Shane.

"Everything else in the marriage okay otherwise, though?" Trish asked, snapping Rinoa out of her thoughts. She nodded.

"Everything else is perfect. We're just being pulled in a lot of directions right now and as newlyweds, well...it kind of sucks." Trish nodded. "I'm sure Shane and I will plan something out eventually." Trish grabbed Rinoa's arm and led her towards the locker room. She didn't want them to be standing out alone in the hallway in the event Kurt Angle and Stacy Keibler decided to create more trouble for Rinoa.


	15. More Interruptions

**Chapter Fifteen: More Interruptions**

Rinoa sighed into the kiss as he backed her up against the door, running his hands down her arms and resting on her hips. Her arms snaked around his neck as she kissed him back with equal passion, one hand slipping down to his shirt and tugging at the buttons, getting them undone with one hand. Shane pressed up against her and his lips traveled to her neck. "Shane..." she murmured. He pulled back with a smile and picked her up, taking her over to the bed and laying her down, straddling her, running his hands over her figure before resting at the bottom of her dress and pulling it up over her head.

There was a knock on the door. She sighed. "Fuck," he murmured. She slipped the dress back on and sat back on the bed. Shane sighed in frustration and buttoned his shirt back up.

"God damn it," Rinoa breathed, getting up to get her pajamas from her duffel bag. Shane smirked and answered the door.

"Hey, Dad," Shane replied with a deep breath. Vince walked in.

"You all right, Shane?"

"Yeah, fine. What's going on?"

"Where's Rinoa?"

Shane heard the shower running and he felt his irritation grow a little bit more. "In the shower," he answered. _I should be in there with her,_ he thought to himself bitterly. "What's going on?"

"Did you hear about what happened with Rinoa tonight? With Kurt Angle?"

"I saw she messed him up pretty good."

"She broke his nose. On top of that, she pranged up Stacy Keibler pretty good."

"What are you thinking, Dad?"

"Maybe it was a little bit too soon to bring her back."

"Well, you're the one who wanted an answer by WrestleMania."

"I know, I know," Vince replied, "but we can't have her beating the hell out of people in the locker room."

"Dad, you wanted her back, she came back, and you fail to realize that the two people who did get pranged up were people who had no business being around her. Dad, do I need to remind you what Kurt did to her? And you expected her not to do anything?"

"I didn't say that, Shane. But I'm saying that obviously we may have brought her back too soon." Shane shook his head.

"Rinoa is fine. Rinoa wouldn't have come back if she wasn't ready. You and I both know that." Vince sighed and nodded. "What brings you here?"

"I'm going to need you to go make another trip to Canada to meet with some Canadian ambassadors again."

"How long will I be gone for?"

"Two, three days tops. Rinoa will be doing an appearance and an autograph signing at New York, so it should keep the two of you busy." Shane nodded. "Everything okay, Shane O?"

"Fine, fine," he answered. "Anything else?"

"No. But I'm going to need a draft of the proposal for the presentation by tomorrow night." Shane took a deep breath. "You'll be leaving Wednesday." Shane nodded. _Go figure,_ he thought. _Right after the tapings._ Vince stood to his feet. "I'll leave you alone. Tell Rinoa I said hello." With that, Vince was gone. He sighed; there went his night. He was stuck doing a presentation. With a deep breath, he went and gathered his laptop and got ready to start the presentation.

There was another knock on the door. "The Witness Protection Program is looking really fucking good right now," Shane murmured to himself, getting up from the bed and answering the door. Stephanie stood on the other side. "Three words: off the clock." She laughed and walked in. With a sigh, Shane closed the door.

"What's up?"

"Not a whole hell of a lot. I've been thinking about taking some time off," she answered.

"Oh?"

"It's just really difficult for me to look at Hunter right now. I think it'd be better if I just kind of took a long deserved vacation."

"Aren't you lucky."

"You get vacations."

"To do presentations," he retorted. "The day after I got married I was doing a sweep of Argentina and Milan." Stephanie sighed.

"A little sexually frustrated are we, Shane O?"

"Stephanie, you have no fucking idea." She laughed and he flashed her the middle finger.

"Where is my sister-in-law anyways?"

"She's in the shower," he said. She cocked an eyebrow.

"Not in there with her?"

"Evidently not if I'm standing here talking to you." Stephanie laughed and Shane shook his head. "This family is fucking hopeless."

"Yeah, but you still love us," she replied as he sat down in front of his laptop again. "What are you doing?"

"Presentation in Canada. Dad wants the draft of the presentation by tomorrow night."

"He gave you a lot of time to work on this one, didn't he?"

"Oh yeah. He sure did," Shane replied sarcastically. "So, now, instead of spending a nice quiet night in with my wife and _finally_ having a _little bit_ of alone time, I'm stuck doing a presentation."

Stephanie sighed. "Jesus Christ, you need to get laid." Shane felt himself twitch a little bit. She knew she had gotten under his skin and she stood. "I'll see you later. I'm kind of hungry and I have to take care of a few things tomorrow. I'll see you later." Shane nodded and Stephanie left the room. Shane heard the water stop running and he sighed, putting his focus back on the presentation. He'd be up all night, otherwise rushing through it the following morning.

The door opened and Rinoa emerged in a lime green silk robe, her wet hair hanging around her face in waves. Shane looked up at her. "Who was here?"

"Dad and Steph. He's sending me back to Canada on Wednesday and he wants me to have a presentation ready for him by tomorrow."

"Oh," she replied, the realization dawning on her. "I guess there isn't a whole lot of sleep for you tonight, huh?" He shook his head and she untied her robe, letting it drop to the floor. She was wearing a spaghetti strapped green silk nightie that fell down to mid-thigh. She kneeled onto the bed and stared at him, in front of the computer, smiling. He looked over at her, dressed in her nightie, her left shoulder strap falling down her arm, and looked back at his computer. He looked back at her and moved his computer onto the nightstand, kneeling close to her.

"Fuck it," he murmured, grabbing her around the waist and bringing her down onto the mattress and leveling her with a passionate kiss.


	16. Vince's Big Plan

**Chapter Sixteen: Vince's Big Plan**

It had been a few months since Rinoa had her first run-in with Kurt Angle since everything had gone down the year before, and it appeared that he had gotten the hint and hadn't tried reapproaching her. WWE, having changed their name the previous month, had put out a PR spin claiming that Kurt had been injured in a match during an overseas tour to account for the broken nose that Rinoa had given him. Shane couldn't have been prouder of his wife for laying the boots to Kurt the way that she had. Even to Rinoa, in a sense it had been like taking back her fear. She seemed much better, a little more open and seemed less vulnerable to some of the guys backstage. Stacy Keibler and Rinoa were still going back and forth, except Rinoa was now the heel, and all the men were behind Stacy Keibler. Most of the women were behind Rinoa, harboring a severe distaste for the leggy Baltimore Diva.

The championship had jumped to Triple H to Hulk Hogan to the Undertaker at Judgment Day. The entire locker were at Raw, heading into King of the Ring; however, there was a bit of an swerve coming, leaving all of them gathered, chattering in curiosity.

The entire group was backstage, Shane at the Gorilla with Jack Brisco and Pat Patterson. Rinoa was standing with Taker, who had the belt slung over his shoulder, and Randy Orton. Taker had a protective arm around Rinoa's shoulder. He had really taken it upon himself in Shane's absence to keep his eye on Rinoa. Nobody fucked with her when the Deadman was around, period. Randy was standing close by, with Chris Jericho behind her. Kurt Angle was at the back, talking with Christian and Edge. Stephanie had since taken a leave of absence, citing personal issues resulting from her divorce. Vince made her lose a loser-leaves-WWE match to Triple H, which Rinoa thought wasn't very fair, and she was off to enjoy her freedom. She needed it. It was driving Rinoa crazy to see her so miserable and know there was nothing she could do to ease Stephanie's pain. To Hunter's credit, with the title won and lost, he was starting to focus a little bit more on his pain, and Rinoa couldn't blame him. Stephanie hadn't made things easy lying about a pregnancy.

Linda and Vince were standing before them, wide smiles on their faces. "Great news, everybody," Vince roared with a clap of his hands. "Starting tonight, we're making two separate brands!"

"What?"

"Tonight's our draft. Some of you will go to Raw, some of you will go to SmackDown. So, obviously, for some of you guys, your work schedules will be changing." Everyone started chattering excitedly, with a few complaints over the scheduling changes here and there, as Vince left to tend to some matters before the show started. He would be running things on SmackDown while Ric Flair would be running things on Raw for the time being. Linda McMahon still stood at the front, smiling.

"I'm very sorry that we didn't say a whole lot to you guys in advance, but truthfully, we don't want anything inadvertantly getting leaked to the Internet." Everybody nodded in understanding. Every wrestler knew how frustrating it was when big plans got leaked. "We're trying to maintain some level of surprise." Lita, Matt and Jeff Hardy looked concerned at the idea that they would be separated, as did the Dudley Boyz. Rinoa was surprised that Edge, Christian and Kurt were all standing together. Edge and Christian had a falling out at the end of the previous year, while Edge and Kurt had just finished a rough feud that had resulted in Kurt Angle having his head shaved by Edge. Rinoa had to admit that it gave her great pleasure to watch Edge shave Kurt Angle's head, and it had been the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Edge and Rinoa as a result.

Taker gave Rinoa a pat on the head. "You know anything about this, Noa?" he drawled. She shook her head.

"Vince told me he had something big planned, but I didn't know what..." She wondered for a brief second what was going to happen with Shane's schedule.

"So you don't know where you're going?" Randy asked her. She shook her head.

"I didn't ask. I didn't even know we were doing a split."

"Where are you hoping to go?"

"It doesn't matter to me. I love this company, period." Taker nodded. "You?"

"It doesn't matter to me, but since I'm the champion, I think I'm kind of exempt from this draft."

"I doubt that. I think you'll just work both shows until you lose it." He groaned and she smiled up at him. "Oh, take it easy," she replied. "Worse comes to worse, you'll defend the title for Raw one month and the title for SmackDown the next." He nodded.

"I guess that won't be so bad. But I'll be working double the schedule," he said with a sigh. Rinoa knew that the years of wear and tear were catching up on him a little bit.

"You could always drop the title," she said softly. He laughed, shaking his head.

"You're funny."

"That's what they tell me."

"Where's your husband, by the way? I haven't seen him around."

"He's probably up at the Gorilla with the guys. I haven't really seen him since got here," she replied. Taker knew that Shane and Rinoa were both frustrated at the lack of time they had with one another. Unfortunately, they were so devoted to the business that neither of them would dare ask for time off. He knew Vince would give it to the two of them, but they had this weird idea that nothing would run smoothly if they weren't around to help. He respected the mentality, but he also knew the importance of trying to make time for his wife. He and Sara had been struggling through that right up until she came on the road with him. He still had his slipups, but he did what he could to make time for her, especially since she was pregnant. Rinoa had been over the moon when he had told her, and the Divas were even planning to throw Sara a baby shower when she had the child. Rinoa decided to do it after the child was born so everyone knew what to get. He was genuinely touched. He asked Rinoa about having kids, but they both knew the reality of it; the two of them at the moment were way too busy to even think about having kids, and the pressure from Rinoa's parents, along with Shane's, to have a kid was driving her crazy, though she'd never come right out and say it to Shane and her family. But Taker knew the pressure was getting to her, and at least once a week, she came to his dressing room with two cups of coffee and ranted until she was feeling better. She loved Shane, she loved her marriage, but everybody needed to back off on the baby talk so long as they wanted her in the ring. And he understood. It wasn't really fair for Vince to expect her to juggle motherhood and being on the road for three hundred days a year. It was just a bit too much for Rinoa to take.


	17. No Rest for the Weary

**Chapter Seventeen: No Rest For The Weary**

Rinoa rolled over, exhausted. The morning sunlight radiated through the narrow slits in the blinds, casting a dim daylight glow over the bedroom. She had arrived last night, late, while Shane had flown out to Texas to do an appearance with Taker. She sighed; she was starting to get used to the fact that Shane wasn't going to be around as much as she liked anymore. More and more she was thinking that she should have gone overseas with Shane when she had the chance. But she wasn't all that ready to travel at the time, with Dr. Salinas' appointment coming up.

She hadn't seen Dr. Salinas in a while, once she had started back on the road. She smirked, thinking about how the Deadman was suddenly her new therapist. With a cup of coffee and the title on a nearby chair, he'd sit and chuckle and smile as she ranted like crazy before dismissing her as a raging female. They'd erupt into fits of laughter and she'd give him a big hug and thank him for putting up with her ranting and raving.

More and more lately she'd been thinking about kids. But she wasn't being realistic, and neither were her parents or her in-laws. Vince thought she was one of the best WWE Divas around, and would have hated the idea of Rinoa retiring. But they're antsy for grandchildren, and Rinoa knew it would require maternity leave, probably followed by retirement. She couldn't see herself sending her kids to stay with her parents for three hundred days a year while she traveled. Shane was normally too busy, Vince and Linda were busy, Stephanie was back and forth in the business, and even then, Rinoa knew a child was her responsibility and she didn't want to pawn the child off on anybody.

She sat up and looked at Shane's empty side of the bed. She woke up in the middle night with her hand on his pillow, and it depressed her a little bit. She sighed; she missed him a lot. He'd be back later that night, exhausted, but offering her as much affection as he could muster. She was always amazed at how attentive he could seem with her whenever he walked through the door, nevermind he had just flown halfway around the world for two days and then made his way back. He was always working on new ambassador opportunities in Canada, overseeing the WWE website and did whatever other odds and ends Vince needed him to take care of. He loved staying busy, but Rinoa also knew that the lack of time was starting to wear on Shane too. The "when are you having kids" talk was getting to him, too, she could sense it, but he wasn't about to say anything about it to her. He knew she was having a hard enough time. They were barely finding enough time to be intimate, let alone conceive a child. And when they were intimate, it wasn't like anything was happening on the pregnancy front.

She got out of bed, making her way over to the closet. She pulled out a white spaghetti strapped sundress and set about getting ready for the day. Stephanie was going to come out and they were going to go shopping. She made her way into the bathroom and brushed out her hair, and applying a quick dash of mascara to her lashes and gloss to her lips. She heard the phone ringing downstairs and quickly rushed, but missed the phone.

_"Shane and Rinoa's. We're not here right now. Sorry. Leave your name and number and we'll call you soon. Promise."_

The phone beeped and Stephanie's voice resonated through the empty house. "Noa, it's Steph. Look, I'm really, really sorry, but I've got to cancel. Hunter called; he wants to meet me about something. From the sound of his voice it's probably in the best interest that I go. I'm sorry. We'll reschedule. Talk to you later." She heard the phone click and she deleted the message, collapsing to the couch.

"Well, there goes my day," she sighed. It was another eight hours until Shane came home. She settled back on the couch and turned on the television. "Looks like it's just you and me, MTV..." she sighed.

Shane got off the plane at the airport two hours early. He decided he wanted to surprise Rinoa. She was probably still out with Stephanie. She was so excited about planning Sara's baby shower with the Divas. He thought it was really good for her to try and do her own thing backstage, instead of just retreating into herself. The Undertaker was one of his good friends and he was glad to see that Rinoa was so close with him as well. He was glad that guys like Taker and Jericho were backstage to take care of her while he was doing other things. He had almost had a coniption fit when he found that Kurt Angle had even approached Rinoa. But with Rinoa in Jericho and Taker's hands, he knew that she was safe when he wasn't around.

He sighed. He knew that the entire child discussion between the masses was starting to get to her. He was more than okay with having children, but he knew that at the moment he and Rinoa had absolutely no time so as far as he was concerned, having a child was a dead issue. As it was, their home was a revolving door for Stephanie, Vince and Linda, and whatever other Superstars or Divas came over for dinner or a meeting for some appearance. He shook his head. Whenever they were intimate, she wasn't getting pregnant, and it wasn't like they were using any protection. It just obviously wasn't in the cards for her to have a child at the moment, and half the time they got ready to have a quiet night in, he was given new presentations or somebody was coming over. When it came to the idea of Rinoa getting pregnant, he wasn't going to read into it too much considering they were so busy. He hailed a cab and climbed in.

He unlocked the door and found Rinoa asleep on the couch. The TV was softly on, playing some terrible replay of Total Request Live. He placed his bags down softly on the floor by the door and slid his shoes off, hanging his suit jacket on the coat rack. He smiled down at her sleeping form before disappearing into the kitchen.

Rinoa stirred when she smelled something really good emanating from the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and smudging her mascara, she sat up to see soft candlelight coming from the kitchen. Standing groggily to her feet and fixing her hair, she looked at the time. It was after eight. She felt terrible; Shane arrived at seven-thirty and she wasn't there to pick him up. She made her way into the kitchen as she saw Shane put dinner on the table and she burst into tears. He cocked an eyebrow at the sight.

"Hey, hey," he said softly, making his way over to her and giving her a hug. "What are you crying for?"

"I'm a terrible wife," she sobbed. Shane cocked an eyebrow.

"Why are you of all people terrible?"

"I should have been there...at the airport...seven-thirty...I knew..."

"Hey...hey..." He laughed, pulling her back and wiping the tears away from her eyes with the pad of his thumb, "Take it easy. I got in a couple hours early and I thought that I'd surprise you. You were asleep, so I decided to surprise you with dinner. You're a hell of a sleeper, I'm amazed you didn't hear me crashing and banging in here." He looked at her, giving her a once-over. "Noa, honey, are you okay?"

She sighed. "Steph canceled on me today and I guess I let it get me down." Shane's face darkened.

"Why'd she cancel?"

"Hunter called her about something. I'm not sure what." He sighed.

"Bit of a rough day?" he asked. She nodded and he pulled her into a tight hug. "Just take it easy. I've got a great night planned for the two of us."

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Can I ask about the plans?"

"Well, first we're going to have a candlelit dinner, if these candles hold up. I kind of jumped the gun and lit them about an hour ago." She laughed softly. "Then we're going to go upstairs...and if you can grab that green nightie..."

"What's the point?" she asked. "It'll only come off anyways." He laughed.

"Humor your husband, will you?" She pulled back and laughed giving him a soft, sensual kiss. He pulled back and shook his head. "Dinner first. Otherwise, we're not getting anywhere." She smiled as he pulled out her chair. He was dead exhausted, but he was willing to do anything to make sure she was happy. She stared down at the ring. Some days she never could comprehend just how lucky she was.


	18. More Travels

**Chapter Eighteen: More Travels**

Rinoa stretched and awakened the following morning, this time surprised at the image of Shane laying beside her, watching her, his fingers softly stroking her bare shoulders with his fingertips, leaving goosebumps everywhere he touched. He was smiling, staring into her beautiful green eyes, admiring the way her tousled brown hair framed her face as she leaned against the pillow, her arm crooked, her hand holding the blanket up against her chest. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Good morning, beautiful," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"How long have you been awake for?" she asked softly.

"A little bit."

"How come you didn't wake me up?"

"I like watching you sleep." She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"What's the time? I have to be on a plane for noon." This time around, Shane got to stay home while Rinoa traveled. He had to take a meeting at WWE's headquarters regarding changes to the WWE website.

"It's only eight. You still have time." She shook her head and got out of bed, sliding on a nearby robe.

"I've got to get packed and I have to be at the airport early to run through baggage check." She sighed, grabbing a matching black pair of underwear and sliding them on while Shane sat up slowly. His body was sore from all the traveling and airplanes he had been doing over the last month. She quickly put on a pair of jeans and a black spaghetti strapped top before disappearing in the bathroom to run a brush through her hair and throw it back in a sloppy ponytail. She decided to forego the makeup and made her way back out to make sure that everything was packed up right. Shane motioned for her to make her way over to him and she sat down beside him. He kissed her softly.

"You're beautiful," he told her. She smiled.

"What time's your meeting today?"

"Two thirty. I thought I'd take you to the airport."

"Well, then, get up. I've got to be at the airport for at least nine thirty to get baggage check going." Shane nodded and groaned as he pulled back the blankets and stood. "You need a vacation, Shane."

"So do you."

"I just had six months. I can't ask for a vacation." Shane laughed. She gave him a kiss. "I'm going to go make breakfast..."

"Don't worry about it. We'll hit something up before we get to the airport...Will you get that panicked look off your face? You'll be fine. You'll make it in time." She sighed and nodded. He gave her a kiss and she handed him a green button-down shirt. He slid it on and went to the closet to pick a suit. She grabbed her bag. He slid on a black suit and put on his jacket. "Come on. Let's get going, since you're in such a rush."

Shane and Rinoa stood in the airport. The first boarding call had been announced, and she had her arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. "Have a good meeting," she told him. He nodded.

"I'll miss you beautiful. Call me tonight."

"You know I will," she replied, giving him a soft kiss. "Bye, Shane."

"Bye, beautiful. I miss you already." She smiled and gave him another quick kiss before getting on the plane. Shane sighed before turning around and leaving the airport.

"I'm sitting beside you? What are you even doing in New York?"

Triple H looked up at his ex-sister-in-law. "I was doing an appearance at New York last night." He cocked an eyebrow. "Is there an issue with sitting beside me?"

"No," she answered, sitting down. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I didn't expect to see a familiar face." He smiled.

"How have you been? I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you since everything went south with Steph." She smiled.

"I've been doing all right. Nobody wanted me to retire, but they want me to give them grandkids. Perfect balance. How about you? I heard you needed to meet Steph the other day." He nodded.

"I needed her to sign some papers." Rinoa nodded, disappointed that they weren't working things out. He caught onto that. "Rinoa, Stephanie McMahon is one of the most difficult human beings I have ever had to know or put up with. I should have known it wouldn't have worked out."

"With that attitude, no wonder you're getting a divorce," she replied. He chuckled. "Stephanie is devastated by all this, Hunter."

"Well, she should have thought about that before she faked a pregnancy, huh?"

"Yeah...that wasn't one of her shining moments, was it?" Rinoa asked. He laughed.

"I know what you're thinking, Rinoa. And I'm not just walking away from her, okay?" he sighed. "Contrary to the popular belief of the McMahon family, I do still love and care for Stephanie. Everyone's so goddamn black and white about it though. There's a lot between her and I that we need to work out and unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot to work out at the moment."

"I'm sorry to hear it's like that," she replied. He sighed.

"I was too when I decided to end things. But if Steph can lie about something as big as a pregnancy, what else could she lie about? Anyways, it's not easy to be married in our profession."

"You're preaching to the choir there, Hunter," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "It's a miracle you find any space, too...if you're a McMahon anyways." Triple H laughed.

"I'm sure Vince and Linda visit Shane more than Stephanie. Which has got to be a ton." Rinoa nodded.

"And since you and Steph split up, we've had her over too. Not that I mind, but I know Shane's getting stir crazy to just have some time alone with me."

"You guys haven't had a honeymoon yet, have you?" he asked. She shook her head. "Why not ask for the time off? Shane too?"

"No dice. Vince has Shane so busy with presentations and website promotions and I just came back after a six month leave of absence. I think Vince would be ripping his hair out."

"And we both know how much of a shame that would be," Hunter said with a roll of his eyes and Rinoa couldn't help it but she giggled. "I heard you had a run in with the Olympic Hero the other day." She nodded, a blush crawling up her neck. He shook his head. "Nothing to be embarassed about, Rinoa. You pack a whallop." She laughed. "Deadman was gunning for him when he found out."

"Someone told Taker?"

"Man, after all the years I've been here, I'm amazed at how much manages to get back to that guy. It's like the motherfucker has eyes in the back of his head or some shit. You can't step out of line with him." He shook his head. "I see Vince has gotten you into managing now." She nodded. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Randy Orton."

"Never heard of him."

"Cowboy Bob Orton's kid."

"Ah, okay. Let's hope he does a little something more than his father did in this business. I want to set something up by the end of the year, so I'll keep an eye out for him."

Rinoa wanted to ask him what he had planned, but Hunter had learned from Vince that the best things were always done in secret. So she just clamped her mouth shut and looked down at her wedding ring. She wished Shane was with her.


	19. Damn It

**Chapter Nineteen: Damn It!**

Randy Orton was getting ready for his match, wetting down his hair. Even though he'd been with the company for a couple months, he was still nervous every time stepped through the curtains for a match. The fans thought he was obnoxious, arrogant, and they hated Rinoa just as much for being in the same camera frame with him. So overall, he was doing his job, and doing it well. Rinoa had fallen in with being a heel very smoothly as well, even though this was the first time in her entire career that she had wrestled as a heel.

There was a knock on the door and he went and answered it. Rinoa stood before him, looking absolutely stunning. She was dressed in a black halter dress with black heels, her hair feathered outwards, her makeup dramatic. _Jesus, Shane's a lucky guy_, Randy thought to himself. He flashed her a smile. "Hey. Come on in. You look great tonight."

"Thanks," she said with a laugh.

"A guy like me could get used to having a beautiful Diva like you on his arm every night."

"Now you're just trying to flatter me."

"Is it working?"

"Just a tad." They laughed. Shane and Randy had become pretty good friends since Randy's debut, and Randy went out of his way to look out for Rinoa when Shane wasn't around. Randy didn't make it a secret he had a crush on Rinoa, but he knew better than to act on it. He was also in a relationship, and was more into torturing the men and women around him than pursuing anything with them. "What's the gameplan for tonight?"

"Match with Hardcore Holly again." Rinoa nodded; she didn't care for Hardcore Holly that much, but he was a good friend of Bradshaw's. They had him working a lot with Randy, and Rinoa wasn't liking it. He was too stiff with Randy and was taking too many liberties with him in the ring. Whenever Rinoa would broach the subject, he'd sneer at her and tell her to mind her business, that she had no place to say anything. She had kept her mouth shut because she didn't like throwing around the fact that she was Shane McMahon's wife to make a point. Hardcore used that and exploited that to make her look stupid and to excuse his behavior with the young guys. "I'm sorry he treated you like that last week," he said. It had taken everything Randy had the week before not to hit Hardcore in his smug little face.

"Don't worry about it. Bob's a prick."

"Tell me about it. Vince seems to think he's got me on a path to greatness though," he added with a roll of his eyes. Rinoa stifled a laugh. He turned, pulling off his T-shirt. "Okay, I'm ready to go." He extended his arm and she linked it with his.

"Give him space! Give him space!" Rinoa shouted as soon as they got backstage. When nobody listened, Rinoa knew she had to pull out the big guns. "Back the fuck up and give the kid some air!"

"Kid? I resent that..." A sharp stab of pain hit Randy and he exhaled, letting out a soft cry of pain.

"What does it look like, Dr. Rios?" Rinoa inquired, crouching down and putting a reassuring hand on Randy's knee. Dr. Ferdinand Rios began to poke and prod and stretch at Randy, who cried out and shouted in pain consistently with each movement.

"Broken clavicle it looks like."

"How severe?"

"He will probably need surgery for it, but he'll have to go to the hospital for X-rays to determine that. But I am almost sure it's broken."

"Fuck me," he murmured. "How long am I going to be out for?"

"A couple months, Randy. Try not to think about that now." Randy groaned and Rinoa stood to her feet. She was pissed. If Bob hadn't have sandbagged that move on Randy, his collarbone wouldn't have snapped. Shane grabbed her on instinct and pulled her aside.

"Rinoa..."

"No, Shane, that was bullshit. He sandbagged that move on purpose! He's been doing it to Randy all weekend and now look!" She sighed, trembling with irritation. He gave her shoulders a rub and she exhaled. "He doesn't deserve this, Shane O. His career's just starting, for Christ's sakes."

"Did you bring this up to Bob?"

"He told me to mind my own business, that it wasn't my fucking place to say anything!" She was fuming. Randy knew it was better to just let her seethe it out. But he was irritated to hear that Bob had spoken that harshly with Rinoa. She sighed.

"I'm going to go to the hospital with Orton. I kind of feel at fault for this. I'll meet you back at the hotel." He nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She followed Randy towards the ambulance stationed at the back of the arena and climbed in.

Rinoa sighed as they set about relieving Orton's pain as much as they could and taking X-rays before sending him back home for surgery.

"Do you know any good surgeons?" he asked.

"Dr. Andrews in Alabama. He pretty much does everyone here. Dr. Youngblood, too." Randy nodded. He looked as though he were about to cry. "What's the matter, Orton?"

"My dad's arm didn't heal for three years," he sighed. "What if...?"

"You'll be fine in three months, Orton," she assured him. "If you're not stupid and follow the doctor's orders." He nodded. "You'll be fine." The nurse gave him a couple painkillers and he drank it down with water before she told him he was free to go. Rinoa helped him out of bed because he was sporting a sling. "I'll drive you back to your hotel," she offered and he nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks for being here with me," he told her. She dismissed it with a wave.

"Don't worry about it. You're one of my good friends. I wouldn't leave you to go it alone."

"Shane isn't upset about it?"

"Shane and I trust each other very much, Randy. He knows I would never jeopardize our marriage."

"He's a lucky guy, you know."

"Well, thanks Randy. I'm sure if your girlfriend was here, she'd be here with you. She's a very lucky girl, too."

"Thanks. I know she'd be here otherwise, panicking like crazy," he answered with a laugh. "It's not easy keeping a relationship in this business though, isn't it?"

"No, it isn't," she replied. "Marrying in or out of it, it's still difficult. You're getting pulled in a million directions and you have to find time with that someone when the tugging stops for a day or two." She shook her head. "But if you love somebody that much, then you find a way to make it work." Randy nodded.

"You're pretty wise."

"I don't know about that. I still learn new things daily."

"Hey. You and I need to have a talk."

Hardcore Holly looked up at Shane and sighed. "What'd the little bitch tell you?"

Shane flinched and balled his fists, but fought the urge to strike Hardcore Holly. "When you're in my presence, you'll never, ever use that kind of language about my wife, are we clear?" He shrugged and Shane took a deep breath. "What the fuck are you doing to these young guys, Holly? Do I need to remind you that this isn't your 'day' anymore? Those guys need to be able to trust you to guide them!"

"That's what I did."

"By sandbagging a move on him? Not only is that fucking dangerous for Randy, who is now out for three months with a broken collarbone, it's dangerous for you too! You are so fucking lucky you didn't get hurt too!"

"Whatever, Shane. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, this is a 'you're Vince's son, what the fuck do you know' kind of thing. Get the fuck out of my face with that bullshit," Shane murmured. "You're lucky my dad likes you because if this was me in his spot, you'd be fucking suspended for this shit."

"You done?"

Shane sighed. This was going nowhere. "Yeah. For now. But if you ever take another shot at Rinoa again, I'll be dealing with you in the parking lot. We clear?" He didn't give Bob the chance to answer, instead storming out of the room.

Rinoa entered the hotel room, exhausted. Shane was laying on the bed. She peeled off her jacket and hung it in the nearby closet before making her way into the room. "How is he?" hane asked her. She slid off her heels and took off her dress.

"Fine. He's going to book a surgery with Dr. Andrews tomorrow," she replied, digging through her bag for a pair of pajamas. Shane was hardly focusing at the image of his wife standing in front of him in her underwear. "He's all scared now that he's not going to heal fast enough and that everyone's going to forget about who he is." She sighed. "I fucking hate Holly. What a jerk."

"Tell me about it," Shane replied. "I went and talked to him after you and Randy went to the hospital and he was just a dick." She nodded.

"Go figure. I hope he sandbags a move on another guy and gets his stupid ass hurt."

"Noa..."

"No. I think the son of a bitch should learn his lesson. Let him get hurt and suffer it out like the rest of these guys. It's ridiculous. And when I tell him he's being too harsh on Randy, he asks me if I'm going to tattle to you."

"Noa." His voice was firm. She stopped and stared at him, her tone just as firm.

"What?"

"Come here." She realized she was still in her underwear and she laughed, tossing her pajamas to her side of the bed before making her way to Shane. He grabbed them and threw them off the bed as he pulled her onto his lap.

"What...?"

"Trust me...you won't be needing those..." She giggled before his lips closed over hers.


	20. Careful What You Wish For

**Chapter Twenty: Careful What You Wish For...**

"Give him some room, give him some room!" Shane called out. Rinoa didn't look sympathetic in the least. For that matter, neither did three quarters of the locker room who had gathered around to see what was going on.

"Wow. This looks familiar, doesn't it?" she murmured under her breath. Randy had been out for about a month and she had turned face again, teaming with Trish Stratus to take on Molly Holly and the newly debuting Victoria, a woman who claimed to have a backstory with Trish from their days as fitness models. She had been attacking Trish left and right, and Rinoa had stepped in to give her a hand. With Randy out on injury, Vince decided to scrap Rinoa's management plans. Regardless, she still called Randy daily to make sure that he was all right.

In the meantime, Bob Holly was laid out on a stretcher while some of the newer guys who had been tormented by him scowled on in approval, snickering and chortling, not giving a damn who saw them. Holly had been put in a match against Brock Lesnar and he had sandbagged a move - a powerbomb - on Brock, much like he had done to Randy. Except Brock was too powerful, still managed to lift him and execute the move, however, he had wound up breaking Holly's neck.

Brock had felt terrible, trying to apologize, but Holly wasn't hearing any of it. Rinoa figured he kind of knew deep down that he was at fault for this completely. Shane had even warned him that trying to "break in" the new guys like that was dangerous and going to get him hurt. But he didn't listen. As it was, Brock was battling the flu when Bob had pulled this on him. She sighed. Deacon Dave Batista was trying to make him feel better, along with Kurt Angle. Needless to say, Kurt was not in Rinoa's vicinity and neither was Brock.

They loaded Bob into the ambulance and Rinoa sighed as the doors closed and the car sped off into the night. Shane put an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. She was exhausted. She had already competed against Victoria in singles action and her neck was kind of sore after taking a Widow's Peak. Without a shadow of a doubt, she thought Victoria's finisher was the sickest move she had ever seen. Shane gave her a kiss on the side of her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired," she answered. She pulled out of his embrace. "I should go get my stuff together and head back to the hotel. Filming's over anyways." He nodded and she gave him a kiss. "I'll see you back at the hotel."

"Love you, Noa."

"Love you, Shane O." With that, she disappeared down the hallway. She entered the locker room and saw Victoria and Molly.

"Hey, Rinoa. You okay?"

"Yeah. Just watching them send Hardcore off in an ambulance. I feel like such a bitch, but I think it couldn't have happened to a nicer person." The other Divas nodded in agreement.

"Brock's not at fault," Victoria replied with a shake of her head. "He shouldn't have sandbagged it like that. You'd figure with all of Bob's veteran experience that he would know better than to pull that shit."

"Brock's absolutely beside himself right now," Molly replied, zipping up her bag. "I hope he comes to realize that Bob brought this one on himself."

"You never want to hurt anyone," Rinoa replied. "So I don't think the guilt will go away too quick. But he shouldn't feel it because Bob put himself in the spot to be hurt. You don't sandbag a move on a guy as big as Brock Lesnar. He'll just overpower you, and things get fucked up. Tonight was the perfect example. I hope he learns his lesson...maybe when he returns, he won't be such a jerk." The girls nodded. They couldn't believe it was happening. Rinoa slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you guys later."

"You leaving with Shane?" Molly asked. Rinoa shook her head.

"He has to tend to some stuff with this Holly situation, so I'm just meeting him back at the hotel. I'm still pretty jet lagged." The girls nodded and Rinoa readjusted the bag before leaving.

Shane sauntered back into the hotel, exhausted. He knew he was exhausted because he wasn't looking for sex with Rinoa. Instead, he just wanted to curl up next to her and sleep. There was nothing better to him than the feeling of Rinoa rested under his arms. Hell, at the moment, there was absolutely nothing better than sleep, period. Even with all the sleep he'd been catching here and there, he still felt exhausted. Like he wasn't catching up on his sleep.

She had already showered, and was obviously not in the mood for lovemaking either, as she was dressed in nothing more than a pair of drawstring pink pajama pants and a white tank top. She looked just as exhausted as he did. He slid off his suit jacket and hung it up and made his way over to the bed, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Wow," she drawled lazily as she settled under the blankets, watching him pull his shirt off. "What did I do to enjoy such a great show?" He shook his head with a chuckle and pulled off his pants before joining Rinoa under the blanket. He draped an arm around her and pulled her over to him. She stared up lazily at him. He could see she was just exhausted.

"I love you, Rinoa," he told her. She nodded.

"Love you, too," she said as a yawn overtook her. He stroked her hair and her breathing gradually slowed as she relaxed under his soothing fingers. She fell asleep before he did, but not before she placed a soft kiss on his exposed stomach and cradling her arm around him tightly.

Shane let out a deep breath. He was definitely stressed out. They had to completely relaunch the website because of the name change, and change domain names, and it didn't exactly help him when his father was sending him here, there and everywhere. He knew everything was getting to Rinoa, but she wasn't taking it out on him, and for that he was thankful. They didn't fight or anything, which was great for him, but he knew that there was only so long that the two of them could go before they needed to take some time off together. He knew they were going to need a honeymoon. Even together in their line of work they still barely had time to be together. But at the end of the day, he loved these moments. He adjusted himself as carefuly as he could and draped an arm over his stomach, his fingers touching her face. With a smile down at her sleeping figure, he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.


	21. SummerSlam 2002

**Chapter Twenty-One: SummerSlam 2002**

Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock for the Rock's title he took off the Undertaker was the main event of SummerSlam at the Nassau Coliseum in Shane and Rinoa's neck of the woods, New York. Rinoa sighed. She knew what was going to happen. Rock was going to fight, but he wasn't going to win. Not against a powerhouse like Brock Lesnar. He was then going to disappear and do a movie, and then come back for another couple months before taking off to do another movie. It was becoming more and more apparent to the powers that be in the WWE that the Rock didn't really have that much longer with them, and it was a thought that definitely brought Rinoa down. She was happy to see him so successful outside of the ring, but selfishly, she considered him to be one of the greats of the wrestling business and she didn't want to see him go anywhere.

The brands had been split, with Taker going over to SmackDown, with Kurt Angle and Stacy Keibler, and Rinoa found herself becoming lonely without Taker's presence. Sure, she had Shane and Trish and Chris Jericho, but she missed the Deadman. He put up with all her ranting and raving. The month before, Stephanie McMahon had made her grand return, revealing herself to be the new General Manager of SmackDown, while Rinoa's former WCW head Eric Bischoff had become General Manager of Raw.

"Rinoa!"

She turned to see Randy Orton standing behind her. He was still injured, but he was getting better with each day. She smiled. "Hey!" she said with a smile, giving him a hug. "What are you doing here? When did you get here?"

"I just got in. Vince said he's got something planned for me tonight."

"That's terrific. How are you feeling?"

"Better. I don't really need the sling anymore, but Vince said that I need to use it tonight. Give the impression I'm still injured." She nodded.

"Who's this?"

Rinoa looked beside Randy to see a petite brunette with doe eyes staring at her. Randy smiled. "Sorry. Sam, this is Rinoa McMahon. Rinoa, this is my girlfriend, Samantha." Rinoa shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she replied. She cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you're name is Rinoa Fielder."

"It is," she answered. "I'm married to Shane McMahon, though. I just don't throw that out in front of the cameras."

"Touche." They laughed.

"Is Samantha sitting out at ringside with you too?" she asked. Randy nodded and she gave him a pat on the good arm. "Bring her back after the show. A bunch of us Divas are going out and we'd love to have her with us." She looked at Samantha. "If that's good by you, of course."

"It sounds like a plan."

"Randy, get that look off your face. We'll take good care of her. I promise."

"I know you will, Rinoa." He said with a smile. He put his arm around his girlfriend's waist. "Come on, Sam. We gotta get out there."

"It was nice meeting you."

"You, too." They went their separate ways and Trish Stratus approached, dressed in her gear; black vinyl pants, a black halter top and a see through glimmering cloak.

"Who's the brunette with Orton?"

"His girlfriend."

"Ah."

"She's coming out with us at the end of the night."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. We'll have to take good care of her or Randy will kill us." Trish nodded.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Having a match with Victoria. That woman is just a total thorn in my side."

"Do you really know her?"

"Yeah. But it's not like she says it is," Trish replied. She shook her head. "I'll see you after the show."

"You know it. Good luck out there." Trish began to walk down the halls towards the Gorilla, while Rinoa just sighed and shook her head. She was starting to burn out again. When Vince said her schedule would be sparse before her return, he meant her WWE schedule, not her appearances and OVW schedules. It was still go, go, go regardless, and she was too stubborn to ask for time off. Shane was, too. She figured that's why the two of them were such a perfect match. They were too stubborn to know when to take time off, instead trying to find quick hugs and kisses here and there. It could only last so long though, and Rinoa knew that. She wondered if Shane did too.

"Earth to Rinoa!"

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned, screeching in excitement as she saw the Deadman standing behind her with a cup of coffee. She pounced on him, giving him a huge hug that caused him to stumble back, holding his coffee outward so it didn't spill on both of them. "Jesus, Rinoa – you'd think it's been forever since you've seen me!"

"It seems that way," she retorted and he chuckled. "How's Sara?"

"Great, great. Everything's going along very smoothly."

"Do you guys know what you're having?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Wanted the surprise." She smiled. "You okay? You seem a little off tonight."

"I'm fine," she answered. "The girls and I are going out and we're dragging Orton's girlfriend with us." He laughed.

"That's good to hear. We're dragging Orton out with us," Taker laughed. "Ric's orders. He wants to show Orton a thing or two about the nightlife." Rinoa sighed.

"I'm still considered Orton's handler. Don't let him fuck up too bad. I don't want to answer to Vince – or Samantha – in the morning as to why Randy got so loaded he groped a stripper."

"No strippers tonight, Rinoa. I swear." She laughed. He wasn't really a guy for strippers anyways.

"I'm holding you to it, Deadman."

"Trust me. We're not. Shane's coming out, too."

She smiled. "I don't care what you guys do, so long as you guys stay in line." He nodded. The woman was just too perfect for her own good sometimes. "Keep a good eye on my husband, will you? If he gets Randy in on those kamikazes, you guys are in for a long night." Taker laughed.

"Fuck that shit. The boys are hitting up my good friend Jack tonight." She laughed.

"Good luck with that." He laughed.

"Not competing tonight?"

"No, but that hasn't stopped Vince from running me ragged," she replied with a soft laugh. "If I'm not in front of the cameras, I'm back here doing random stuff."

"Burning out?"

"Just a bit," she replied. "We can't really say I had much of a vacation." He nodded; that was true. Attacked, injured, dealing with the legal wranglings, getting married. He didn't blame her for wanting to take some time to breathe a little bit. He knew she wouldn't ask though. Most performers only got time off when they were injured, and even then it was filled with rehab and physio. She had a showman's mentality, but he knew that she wanted more time with her husband. Married eight months already and they were lucky if they were seeing each other more than three days a week, with Shane and Rinoa traveling here, there, and everywhere. Shane had been traveling more now than ever, with WWE doing massive overseas expansion. It just seemed never ending, especially when Vince never sent her on promotions with her husband, instead opting for party boys like Matt and Jeff Hardy, Edge and Christian, and to a lesser extent, the Dudleyz.

Rinoa needed to go talk to Stephanie McMahon. It had been a month and she hadn't exchanged any sort of words with Eric Bischoff, who was too busy looking after things on Raw, and dealing with Ric Flair, who still harbored a lot of animosity towards him stemming from their days in WCW. He was also dealing with familiarizing himself with the new WWE talent and taking meeting after meeting with Vince and Shane.

"Hey, Steph," Rinoa said, offering her a slight wave. Stephanie turned to her and smiled. She was dressed in a black miniskirt, black strap up heels, a black T-shirt and a leather jacket, her long brown hair down around her face. They hadn't had much time to talk since Stephanie had become the General Manager on SmackDown. "Welcome back. It's good to see you."

"Same, Rinoa. How are you?"

"Fine, fine. Enjoying life on the Raw side..."

"Just what in the hell is going on here?"

Rinoa turned to see Eric Bischoff and Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I'll see you tonight, Rinoa."

"You're coming out with the girls and I, right?"

"Yeah. Meet you after the show." With that, Stephanie disappeared and Rinoa turned her eyes towards her former boss.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing? Talking to Stephanie McMahon. Do I need to remind you that you are the exclusive property of Raw?"

"Need I remind you I'm exclusive property to the _McMahon family_?" Rinoa asked, flashing him her ring. Eric blushed sheepishly.

"Oh."

"I married Shane last year, Eric. You don't read the Internet much, do you?"

"Try not to," he confessed. "It becomes an obsessive habit otherwise." She nodded. "I did, however, hear you got injured pretty bad last year. What happened?"

"Home invasion." Rinoa wasn't about to share the fact she had been raped with Eric Bischoff of all people.

"Oh, Jesus. Well, I am glad you're okay. You look terrific."

"No hard feelings over the way I left?" she asked him. He smiled.

"Of course not. You did a lot for us when you were here. I appreciate that. Believe me, I do."

"You're not just saying that because I'm part of the McMahon family now?"

"No. Frankly, Shane made a great choice."

"I'm flattered to hear that," she confessed. "How are you settling in here at Raw?"

"Fine, fine," he replied. "For the most part, the guys who openly hate me haven't attacked me yet."

"I did hear Ric went after you."

"Yeah, but that was broken up before he could get a shot off," he replied. "Ric's an emotional guy. That's all there is to it." She nodded. She looked at the clock.

"I've got to get running because a bunch of us are heading out, but I'll see you on Raw tomorrow night, all right, Eric?" He nodded.

"Have a good night, Rinoa."

"You, too."

"I'm going drinking with your husband."

"You too?" He nodded. "Keep him off the kamikazes for me, will you?" Eric laughed and Rinoa offered him a slight wave before making her way back to the locker room.

"You guys do this every night?" Samantha asked as Rinoa, Stephanie, Trish and Terri all took shots of JD. Slamming their shot glasses down and grimacing, Rinoa shook her head.

"Not all the time," she confessed. "Terri has a daughter, so she's pretty careful when she goes out. Plus Stephanie is the Chairman's daughter. There's a bit of an image to uphold. But SummerSlam is our big summer pay-per-view and we only do pay-per-views once a month. Most of the guys go out during the other tapings, but most of us Divas know we need to get sleep before we have to fly halfway around the world."

"We Divas always have to look glamorous, even when we're hungover," Trish mumbled, calling the bartender to bring her a Cosmopolitan. Terri wanted an apple martini, Rinoa ordered a strawberry daquiri and Samantha ordered a margarita. Stephanie just wanted lime water.

"How is Randy on the road?" Samantha inquired. Trish and Terri shrugged.

"You'd have to ask Rinoa," Trish replied. "She's his handler."

"Shut up!" Rinoa laughed. "He hasn't been any trouble. Not around me anyways. I think he knows when he has someone in The Family managing him, he's on the straight and narrow." The girls all laughed as the bartender brought them their drinks.

"How long ago did you get married, Rinoa?"

"New Year's Eve of last year." She sipped on her daquiri.

"How is it being married?"

"I can't see it being any different," Trish replied. Rinoa shook her head.

"Less time."

"In our line of business it is," Terri retorted and the girls laughed. "We work with them and still we hardly see them."

"It's worse when you marry outside of it, is it?" Samantha asked. Rinoa shook her head and shot a glare at the girls for scaring her.

"It's a matter of finding time. That's all."

"Are you finding time with your husband?" Samantha inquired. Trish laughed.

"That's a different story – she married the owner's son," Stephanie mused, sipping her water. Samantha smiled.

"I don't find the time because most of the time, my husband is halfway around the world. It's a miracle the guy knows what time it is anywhere with how much he's gone. Shane never gets a shot to adjust to the time zones."

"But you love it when he's home, right?"

"Of course. When the family isn't over." The girls all laughed. Rinoa liked Samantha. But she still remembered Serena telling her that Randy Orton was an animal in the locker room. She hoped to hell he didn't mess things up with her.


	22. Adrenaline

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Adrenaline**

"That son of a bitch! I swear to God I'll fucking kill him!"

Rinoa was backstage at SmackDown; she was supposed to be taking care of a few things for some of the new Divas. Vince wanted her to help Dawn Marie learn the ropes at WWE, and Rinoa was more than happy to oblige. Dawn Marie was a veteran in her own right, having worked in ECW before it folded the previous year. She was right now starting a storyline in which she was wooing Torrie Wilson's father Al, who they had really managed to get on TV instead of an actor. It had made Rinoa's stomach turn to tell Al what a wonderful daughter he had when she knew what Torrie and Stacy had done to her the year before. But she had sucked it up with a forced smile, shook his hand and called Torrie a "valuable asset to the company". Stephanie had to stifle a giggle and told her she had the poise of a true McMahon when he was out of earshot. They had just broken into fits of giggles.

Now she was sitting in the trainer's room with the Undertaker, who was nursing a couple head and rib injuries, as they rushed his wife Sara to the hospital, fearing she had gone into labor as a result of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman intimidating her in the locker room.

Taker was pissed. He knew that he needed to be with his wife, but Dr. Rios wouldn't let him go until he checked out his head. There was a cut on the back of his head that wouldn't require stitches, but he had initially feared a concussion because of how wide his pupils had been dialated.

"I don't want him driving tonight..." Dr. Rios stated.

"Fuck that shit!" he roared.

"Deadman, can it." He stared at her, amazed at her tone. She looked at Dr. Rios. "Ferdinand, he should be with his wife at the moment, so if you don't mind, I'll be taking him to the hospital now." He nodded.

"Sure thing, Rinoa. Be sure to tell his wife to monitor his sleep tonight. I don't know about a concussion, but there is definitely a head injury. It's best just to keep an eye out." She nodded.

"Come on, Deadman. Let's get rolling." It had been a long month. Brock Lesnar had taken the championship from the Rock and had jumped ship to SmackDown as a result. Triple H had been rewarded the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw when Eric had been confronted with the prospect of having no champion whatsoever, which wasn't sitting well with his Unforgiven opponent, Rob Van Dam, or any of the boys in the Raw locker room. He was also forming some kind of an alliance with Randy, who was starting to let his wild side show a little bit. Vince always put the discipline on Rinoa, and she always felt bad having to reel Randy in.

He shot her a grateful look and stood to his feet, still holding the icepack to the back of his head. Brock had blindsided him when he had gone after Paul Heyman, who was harassing Sara. That was when Brock had approached Sara. The thought of Brock putting his hand on Sara's womb made him want to be sick.

"Calm down, Deadman," she told him as they sat in the car. "Sara can't be seeing you like this. She's panicked enough." He ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth and sighed before nodding.

"You're right. You're usually right about this shit."

"Just take a breath, Deadman. She'll be okay. Work out the aggression at Unforgiven." He nodded as she started the car and they took off.

"At Unforgiven, I'll fucking kill him."

"Talk to Vince, take the week off and be with your wife," she replied. "He'll understand, and hell, it'll make for good TV, all right?" He nodded. "Do you want me to call him from the hospital?"

"That'd be great, Rinoa." She could see the stress etched on his features. They pulled into the hospital parking lot and he was out in a flash, Rinoa staying behind for a second to call Vince.

"Hello?"

"Dad?"

"Steph?"

"It's Rinoa."

"Hey, babe. It's Shane. Dad's busy right now. What's up?"

"Did you catch SmackDown tonight?"

"No. Didn't get the chance. I've been in meetings all day and doing presentation stuff after."

"Is Dad busy?"

"Anything I can help with?"

"Taker's going to need next week off of TV. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman intimidated Sara and now we're not sure if she's in labor or if it's false labor or whatever. I'm in the hospital parking lot right now."

"Jesus," Shane breathed. "I'll let Dad know. Is she going to be okay?"

"I think so. I'm going to go in and check on the Deadman. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

At two forty five in the morning, Rinoa finally made it back into her hotel room. When Sara had been released after her bout of false labor, she had driven them to the airport so they could catch a red eye flight back to Houston. She had called Trish and Terri to see if they could get to the arena and return Taker's car for him since he wasn't supposed to drive and they were happy to oblige.

Rinoa slid her shoes off and left her jacket on the floor as she made her way towards the bed in the darkness. She was exhausted, stripping her clothes off and leaving them where they lay on the floor before crawling into bed. Shane wasn't going to call tonight. She had called him. She sighed, curling up under the blankets. These three hours of sleep were pretty much the only peace she was going to get in the buildup to Unforgiven. Her mind drifted to Taker and Sara, but she soon fell asleep.


	23. Unforgiven 2002

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Unforgiven**

"Sweet Jesus."

It had been a hell of a night at Unforgiven, with the Brock Lesnar-Undertaker match being thrown out. The fans had been raucous, almost riot-inciting at the referee's decision, but it didn't matter either way. The match may have been thrown out, but it definitely wasn't over. Taker and Brock had brawled up the ramp and it had finally come to a big, almost orgasmic finish when Brock was hurled through the Unforgiven sign. The fan reaction had been so loud that Rinoa could hardly hear anything. He was being treated for a couple minor injuries, and Taker had rushed back to the hotel to check up on his wife. Sara was ready to burst at any minute, and he was keeping her close by just to be sure. After the false labor scare, Taker wasn't taking any chances.

Ric Flair had cost Rob Van Dam his match against Triple H and the two seemed to have formed some kind of alliance. Rinoa knew that eventually Randy Orton was going to join the fray. As much as she hated to admit it, Randy could learn more from Hunter and Ric than he ever could from her. Randy seemed to value and respect everything that she was doing for him, but she knew that as a Diva, there was nothing she could really do to help Randy along.

Trish had managed to win the Women's Championship from Molly for the third time and she was so excited, yet exhausted when she showed up backstage at the end of the night. Rinoa and Trish exchanged hugs. "Great match out there," Rinoa told her. Trish shrugged.

"I'm not even thinking about Molly. I know Victoria isn't going to be too far behind," Trish replied. Rinoa nodded. Trish was playing things with Victoria close to the vest, and Rinoa didn't know much of the details. But she hated to think about Victoria being after her. Her Widow's Peak finisher was absolutely devastating. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Not a whole hell of a lot. Shane's going drinking with Hunter."

"What's up with Hunter and Steph? Are they on again?"

"I think so," she confessed. "Truthfully, I don't even know, and I haven't even asked."

"Things okay with you and Steph?"

"Oh yeah. But she's busy and Shane's busy, and Vince has been keeping me pretty busy, so it's pretty rare we have a shot to just sit down and talk." Trish nodded. "The life we've chosen, huh?"

"Amen to that. Did you want to come out with Lilian and I? We're doing karaoke tonight."

"Do I have to sing?"

"It'd be nice." Rinoa laughed.

"I don't know. I'm not much of a singer."

"Come on...Lilian's going to outshine the two of us anyways, so what's the sense in just having some fun?"

"Fine. But I call Spice Girls." Trish and Rinoa burst into a fit of giggles before making their way down the hallway.

"Shane-O, can we talk?"

Shane looked up at his father. "Yeah, Dad," he said, straightening his posture. "What's up?"

"Have you noticed a change in Rinoa lately?"

"Nothing moreso than usual. What do you mean?"

"She looks pretty burned out."

"Well, Dad, to be fair, her last vacation was dealt with the ramifications of her attack. She's been helping the new girls, helping some of the guys – she spent the other night at the hospital with Taker and his wife. We're both lucky if we see each other three days a week and we're married, Dad...I think that's the problem." Shane suddenly felt a little bit better. Vince stared at his son in surprise. Shane didn't complain about much, so he knew that this definitely irritated him.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about January."

"What about it?"

"We want to send you over to do some negotiations in Japan."

"They finally want to talk?" Shane asked incredulously. They had been so adamant about not filming shows over there.

"Yeah. Go figure. Anyways, I want Rinoa to make the presentation with you," he said. "I figure if we send one of our top ladies over, it might give them an incentive. Also, I'm giving you an extra week off. Rinoa, too. Book a honeymoon, for Christ sakes."

Shane cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Don't look so shocked, Shane. You two are going to fucking implode if you don't get some alone time."

Shane sighed. "Thanks, Dad."

"Think nothing of it, Shane-O. Now get the fuck out of here. Go relax for the night. I'll see you for Raw tomorrow night." He nodded, closing his binder and making his way into the backstage area.

Rinoa crept into the hotel room, sliding her shoes off and stripping out of her clothing, leaving them in small piles on the floor as she made her way to the bed. She was exhausted. She pulled back the covers and climbed under, pulling them back up. Shane rolled over and draped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Beautiful," he murmured, kissing her forehead. He slowly woke up a little bit. "How does Tokyo sound for a honeymoon?"

She sobered up a little. "What?"

"Yeah. Dad wants the two of us to do a negotiations presentation in Japan, and he's giving us an extra week off to have a honeymoon. Are you good with that?"

"Wow...what did we do to get time off?"

"He thinks you're burned out."

"Never mind me...you're probably just as, if not more, out of the loop than I am." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Does it sound all right?"

"It sounds fine, Shane. I'm drunk. Can I get some sleep?" He laughed.

"You know it, beautiful." He kissed her softly and brought her closer, until her head rested against his chest. He kept his arm protectively around her waist and they both fell asleep.


	24. Another Hospital Visit

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Another Hospital Visit**

"Hey, Deadman...congratulations on the baby girl!"

He turned his head to see Rinoa. "Thank you so much. She's so beautiful," he gushed as she gave him a hug. "I know you're not holding out on me. Where's the baby pictures?" He chuckled.

"In my locker room. Come on. I'll show you. She's just the most gorgeous little thing." She fell in step beside him and they began to walk through the back of the arena. They reached a fenced off area. "I heard you and Shane finally got some honeymoon time?"

"Shane can't really keep a secret, can he?"

"Not to save his life," he replied with a chuckle. Just then, Rinoa almost fell forwards, as did Taker. He grabbed her tightly and straightened her up. "You all right?"

"What the fuck was that?"

Taker looked ahead and saw Matt Hardy trying to climb up the fencing. "Yeah, you know you fucked up now," Taker growled under his breath. Rinoa tried to grab him to tell him to let it go, but he was already off after Matt. She saw Brock and Paul running up behind him. She went to scream out to him, but it was too late; Paul had grabbed her roughly around the arms and held her back as she watched Brock brutalize her friend. Brock grabbed a propane tank and Rinoa stomped on Paul's foot, but he just held onto her tighter, causing her to cry out in pain from the force of his grip. Brock threw the tank down and she noticed how sick his hand was hanging. Paul pushed her forward and she made her way over to him. His screams and howls were echoing through the arena.

Rinoa's arms hurt, but she rushed over to Mark and examined his hand. He howled again in pain. "Calm down, Deadman. I just need to take a look. Come on; I'll take you to the hospital." She helped him to his feet and she led him towards the parking lot. She pulled out her cell phone. He was on the other end of the arena, but she wasn't about to drag him around the arena with a broken hand. She dialed Shane.

"Shane O'Mac. What's up?"

"Hey, honey. I'm on my way to the hospital."

"Rinoa? Rinoa, what's the matter?"

"Brock and Paul jumped Taker and I backstage. I think his hand's broken. I'm just going to take him to the hospital. I'll see you tonight at the hotel, okay?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Shane. I'll see you tonight." She hung up and helped him into the car.

"Jesus Christ, that hurts like a bitch!"

"Take deep breaths. That's it. It's okay." He sighed and his breathing became ragged as they began to cast his hand. She had a comforting hand on her back, and she was gently helping him through by getting him to take deep breaths whenever a shot of pain would jolt through his nerves.

"Is he all right to compete?"

"Are you kidding me?" The doctor stared at her as though she had twelve heads. "His hand is broken. There's no way he's going to be able to compete."

"Fuck that," he growled. "I'll be competing."

"It's not a good idea."

"I'll be the judge of that," he replied, standing to his feet. "I'm leaving..."

"It might be a good idea if we keep you around...at least until..."

"I said I'm going home. Noa?"

Rinoa wanted to tell him to listen to the doctor, but she knew he was stubborn. There was no way he was going to listen to the doctor if he had his sights set on leaving the hospital. She shot a sympathetic look at the doctor. "Please make sure he's careful with his cast."

"That I can do," Rinoa replied. "Forgive him; he's a grumpy fellow." He shot her a look and she dared him to challenge her words. He scowled and just kept quiet.

"Fine. I'll prescribe him some painkillers to take. Make sure he doesn't do any sort of competing for at least six weeks."

"Fu..."

"Taker, quiet." Her words were firm and his lips pursed into a thin line. "'I'll do what I can with this stubborn little beast." He scowled at her again and she grabbed his good wrist and the prescription paper. "Come on, Deadman. Move it or lose it." He couldn't help but smile as she led him out.

After finding a twenty-four hour pharmacy and picking up his medication, Rinoa took him back to the hotel. She was lucky they had checked into the same hotel, with his room being a floor above Rinoa and Shane's. She led him to his bed and settled him in, giving him two tablets and some water to sip it back. When she was sure he was settled and okay, she left her room number by the phone and made her way to the elevator. She was exhausted.

When Shane returned at two that morning, he was completely bagged. It had been utter chaos after Rinoa had called him. He went after Paul Heyman, ranting and raving like a lunatic. He had been good, bit his cheek and curbed his temper, but the thought of anybody putting his hands on Rinoa sent him over the edge. Stephanie had managed to bring him back to his senses, but not before he made his point. Taker was a big man, he could handle himself. But there was no reason to manhandle Rinoa.

He saw her sleeping on her side, facing him. He sighed, undressing in the dark. He knew he was lucky. He had the most beautiful woman in the world waiting for him every night. He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, laying it across the slacks he had placed on the chair.

Rinoa stirred and she turned on the lamp, sitting up. "Shane?"

"Sorry, hon. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine," she said with a soft smile. She was changed into a white cotton nightgown with spaghetti straps. He could see the minor bruises on her arm. He sat down beside her on the bed and took a look. "I'm fine, Shane."

"What's the verdict?"

"His hand's broken. They don't want him competing for at least six weeks, but he's determined to face Brock at _No Mercy_."

"Shit." He shook his head and she yawned. He turned off the lamp and climbed into bed.

"I gave him our room number, so if anything goes wrong, I'll go check up on him. He should be okay though. The painkillers should have knocked him out...but he's going to feel it in the morning." Shane nodded. "So if the phone goes off..."

"Fuck that," he told her, laying her down in bed and kissing her softly. "You have been running back and forth between the hospital and the arena and the hotel. Forget it. Rinoa, you're going to lie down and relax. And if he calls, needing help for some reason, I'll go help him out. But you, my beautiful, beautiful wife, are going to get some sleep." He kissed her forehead and settled in with her. "You care too much about other people, Rinoa. You got to put yourself first." She nodded against his chest, yawning. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered. "I can't wait for our honeymoon."

"Neither can I," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "Get some rest." He closed his eyes and listened to her steady breathing. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.


	25. Hell In A Cell

**Chapter Twenty Five: Hell in A Cell**

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" Stephanie fumed. Rinoa, Shane and Stephanie were in the trainer's office as the Deadman sat on the examination table, howling in pain. It had been pure chaos out in the ring only minutes earlier. Stephanie had announced that Taker was still pushing to compete at No Mercy despite his broken hand, and because Brock and Paul had jumped him so cowardly, she was allowing him to pick the stipulation. And, true to the Undertaker persona, he had picked Hell in a Cell, which had almost led to Brock attacking Stephanie before Taker had tried to make the save. He had hit Brock with his cast and had been beaten senseless by Brock while Stephanie just had to stand by and watch. The trio were standing around as Dr. Rios checked over Taker's hand. He was howling in pain like a coyote. His entire hand was still sensitive, and the attack had been focused on it.

"Fuck, Deadman, quit being such a pussy," Shane taunted. Rinoa's eyes widened.

"Fuck off, Shane. I'll kill you," he growled, his face contorting in pain. Stephanie slapped her brother in the back of the head. He shot her a defensive stare.

"The fuck was that for?" Stephanie ignored the question and turned her attention to Dr. Rios.

"Rios, is he going to be all right for _No Mercy_?"

"Are you kidding? He shouldn't have even been here to begin with." Dr. Rios shook his head.

"Fuck that." He looked at Stephanie. "Lesnar and I are still on for _No Mercy_, and if I have to go to your father myself, the match will _still_ happen."

"Stubborn prick," Shane murmured. Rinoa nudged her husband and he bit his lip. She made her way over to Taker as Dr. Rios tried to shove an injection down his cast. He went to holler but Rinoa's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Deep breaths, Deadman. Remember – deep breaths." He sucked in a breath as he felt the needle. She started taking deep breaths with him to lead him along. "That's it. You're a tough son of a bitch; it's not so bad. Just keep taking deep breaths." Shane and Stephanie exchanged glances.

Dr. Rios pulled out the syringe. "All done." The Deadman Stare was directed at the doctor. Rinoa gave him a soft slap on the arm.

"Good. Come on," she replied, helping him off of the table. Thanks to the broken hand he had, he had been catching rides to and from the arena with Rinoa and Shane. They didn't mind; after all the years he had put in for the McMahon family, he was a trusted friend. He refused to share a hotel room with Shane and Rinoa, even though they offered, just to help him out since he was working with one hand. He didn't want to impose on them. Rinoa knew better than to push the issue; he was stubborn. He was always pushing for Shane and Rinoa to get some alone time. She appreciated it, and knew that if he had his way, she'd have alot more private time with Shane. Unfortunately, it was all the other outside factors.

Back at the hotel, everyone sat in Shane and Rinoa's room with a bottle of beer. There were some soft oldies music playing on the radio and they were all talking and laughing about the old times they had on the road. Rinoa took a sip. She didn't like the taste of beer, but she was all right with having one. She probably wouldn't even finish it. She still had most of the bottle left. Taker was rambling on about the time he traveled with Roddy Piper.

"Everything you heard about the fucker is true," he said with a laugh, sipping on his beer. "Shane, you remember the time he got fined for streaking through that hotel in Minneapolis with Flair?"

"Oh, God. Sons of bitches just had to forget their keycards," Shane laughed, sipping his beer. "And, of course, the guys refused to let them back into their rooms or even at least hand them a pair of boxer shorts."

"Wait, wait, wait," Stephanie replied with a laugh. "How the fuck did they wind up naked in the first place?"

"I have no idea," Shane replied. "And I will bet twenty to one that nobody here even wants to find out how that happened." Taker and Rinoa nodded in agreement. Rinoa shook her head.

"It was probably more traumatizing to the poor people who had to see it that _weren't_ employed with your dad."

"Hence, the fine. That, and Ric and Piper weren't allowed back at that hotel. Dad was practically pulling his hair out," Shane laughed. "I think it was like the third or fourth hotel those two got booted from in the span of like four months."

"How about you, Noa?" Stephanie asked. "You got any wild stories?"

"Some," she answered. "But nothing worth sharing."

"Oh, come on!" Taker roared. The beer, mixed with the injection, had him feeling pretty good at the moment.

"Guys...I haven't done nothing to Ric Flair proportions," she said with a laugh, taking another small sip of beer. "I think the wildest thing I've ever done was I went skinny dipping in the dead of winter with Chris Jericho and a female wrestler named Sara." Shane almost spat his beer out. She flashed him a smile. "We were all drunk, and I think we were in Berlin. And it was so definitely Chris' idea, no matter what he tells you. He was just too hammered to remember. What did he call it? Oh yeah...the Extreme Polar Bear Swim. I don't think I lasted more than five seconds in the water. It was the last time I ever let Chris talk me into something while I was drunk."

"That is crazy," Stephanie replied, taking a swig of beer. "Dad would kill me if I ever tried anything like that." Rinoa smiled and looked at her husband. She moved over to him and he cradled an arm around her. "You jealous, Shane?" she teased.

"What? Are you kidding?" he asked with a laugh. "Not only do I get to see you naked any time I want...I've done way crazier drinking with some of the guys."

"I think this fucker here has given everyone a case of alcohol posioning at least once," Taker spat with a laugh, taking another sip of his drink. Shane smiled.

"And everyone has had to work through it the following day," he said with a laugh. Rinoa shot him a glance and he shrugged. "What can I say? I'm competitive."

"That, and the prick works a desk job." Everyone started laughing, and Rinoa rested her head against Shane's shoulder and they all continued to drink. These were the moments Rinoa lived for. Being on the road, sharing the experiences with the people around her.


	26. No Mercy

**Chapter Twenty-Six: No Mercy**

The fireworks exploded, one after the other, before making its way up to the main stage. _No Mercy_ was emanating live from the Alltell arena in Little Rock, Arkansas, and it was shaping up to be an interesting night. Rob Van Dam was looking for revenge on Ric Flair, Triple H and Kane were looking to rip each other apart. Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie were fighting, Torrie proclaiming that the fight was in honor of her father, who was being seduced by Dawn Marie week in and week out.

Stephanie was adjusting well to her role as SmackDown's General Manager; that night Edge and Rey Mysterio were going to take on Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit to decide who would become the first ever WWE tag champions, a title she had created for SmackDown since they had no real titles.

Rinoa was managing Chris Jericho and Christian in their match. The two men had started tag teaming together and it was working really well for them. The two guys always seemed to be on the same wave length as one another, and they were a cohesive tag unit on Raw. She was happy to be back with Chris. She had broken out a silver minidress that vaguely reminded her of a disco ball to match Jericho's flashy outfits, excited at the prospect of working with him again.

At the moment, however, she was stationed in front of the Undertaker's locker room. It had been a rough week for the Deadman and Rinoa always found herself checking up on him, feeling sorry for him. She pushed open the door softly. "It's not like that, I swear to you...Sara? Sara...please, listen to me..." He paused. "Sara? Sara! Fuck!" He hung up the phone and hurled it across the locker room. It barely missed Rinoa. His face paled and his eyes flickered with sadness. "Jesus, I'm so sorry, Rinoa."

"I thought I'd come check up on you." Sara and Taker's relationship had hit a snag when Paul Heyman had brought in a woman named Traci who claimed that she had an affair with him. Sara was understandably upset, especially since they had just had a child together. "She's still pretty upset, huh?"

"She's not listening to a goddamn thing I say." He sighed. "Fuck." She sighed and made her way over to him. He wrapped her in a huge hug. "You look great tonight, Noa."

"How's your hand?"

"Sore. I have a feeling Brock's gonna try and rip this cast off tonight."

"Be careful out there."

"I'll be as careful as I can be locked in that cell," he assured her. She nodded. She understood; over the years, Hell in a Cell had become a match that was characteristically Undertaker; a property that he was a little more than reluctant to accept.

"Deadman, between you and I...Traci's lying."

"Well, shit, I know that," he sighed. She shook her head.

"No, I mean... we all know she's lying. I think Stephanie's plotting something that will get you in the clear." He sighed.

"That'd be nice. I miss my wife talking to me." She smiled.

"Well, you know how we McMahons are...we take care of our own." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck out there tonight. I have to get going now and be with the guys."

"Bye, Noa." She let herself out of his locker room. He sighed; it was going to be a long night. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman had officially succeeded making his life a living hell.

"Jesus, Chris, is your knee all right?"

Chris had gone for a Lionsault towards the end of the match and the middle rope had snapped. Instantly, Rinoa had become worried about his knees and his head. She ran her hand through his hair and searched for any sign of a lump.

"For fuck's sakes, Noa, for the last time; I'm fine," he said with a laugh, swatting her hand away. "What a freak fucking thing to happen though, huh?" She nodded.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes! Jesus. Go track your husband down. Drive him crazy." She laughed.

"I will then." She looked up at Christian. "Take care of this guy, will you?"

"You know I will, Rinoa," he assured her. "We'll see you later."

"See you guys." With that she disappeared. Chris smiled.

"She worries about me so much," he bragged. Christian laughed, throwing an old Y2J T-shirt at Chris' head. Chris put it on.

"I'm amazed you got up after the fucking rope gave way," Christian replied. "You're lucky you weren't hurt."

"Tell me about it. Did you see the look on Rinoa's face when it snapped though?"

"It almost hit her, too. Did you see the way she stumbled back in those heels? It's a miracle she didn't fall over."

"Rinoa's a tough girl. Some of the shit she did in Japan would make Mick Foley squeamish." Christian's eyes widened. Chris nodded. "I witnessed it, man. She can withstand more than a snapping ring rope."

"Hey, beautiful," Shane whispered, covering the microphone piece on his headset so he wouldn't relay the words to Tazz. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and she took her place beside him. Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie were just finishing up in the ring. Technicians had to fix the ring ropes fast in the middle of the show to ensure that the rest of the matches had an actual ring that was put completely together. Shane put an arm around his wife's waist and together they continued to watch the show as he fed Tazz his lines.

"Hey! Deadman, follow me!"

Taker looked over at Rinoa, who had the widest smile on her face. "My sister-in-law has struck gold. Come on!" Befuddled, he followed her down the hallway.

"What's going on?"

"Your golddigging ring rat has a meeting with the Billion Dollar Princess."

"You fucking serious?"

"Would I lie to you?" He smiled. "Steph summoned her for a meeting and hit up Lanza to get me to get you." They came to a stop at the door while Traci was confiding in Stephanie.

"I mean, I was happy just to let it go," Traci said, her back to Rinoa and Taker. "But then I get this call from Paul Heyman..."

"So you're saying that this affair with the Undertaker...it never happened?" Stephanie asked. Traci nodded.

"Yes." She saw the rage boiling over on Taker's features and she reached to grab him for a second, but it was too late. He walked through the door and Traci wheeled around to face him, terrified. He felt Rinoa's hand on his back, trying to tell him to take it easy. The last thing she needed was Taker beating up a woman...not that he would...but Rinoa was pretty sure she wouldn't fault him if he did for the anguish she had caused him and his family. But to Rinoa's surprise, he actually kept his composure.

"You're a lying bitch," he raged. He looked at Stephanie and Rinoa. "Thanks, Steph," he murmured, giving Rinoa a pat on the shoulder as he stalked away. Rinoa and Stephanie stood side by side with one another, arms crossed over their chests.

"I think it looks like you've told your last lie around here, Traci," Stephanie replied with a smile crossing her features. It disappeared quickly, replaced by the trademark McMahon snarl. "Get out of my office. _Now."_ Traci didn't need to be told twice. She was gone. Stephanie turned to Rinoa. "Hey, sis."

"Steph." Stephanie pushed herself off the corner of her desk and made her way over to the chair and sat down. "How's life on the SmackDown side?"

"Going good. Life on Raw?"

"Eventful. Eric Bischoff is a total dictator, but at least I'm above him on the corporate chain." Stephanie laughed and Rinoa leaned against the desk.

"Thanks for getting him for me. I wasn't sure we'd get him here in time," Stephanie confessed. "Taker's a good guy. I just hate the thought that some...bimbo could come along and try to ruin what he has with his family." Rinoa nodded.

"How are things with you and Hunter?"

"Still broaching it slowly," Stephanie replied. "But I think it's going to get better." She smiled softly.

"That's good to hear, Steph."

"Have you and Shane been talking about starting a family on your honeymoon?" Stephanie asked. Rinoa shook her head.

"Frankly, the two of us are doing so many projects right now that we're not thinking about kids." She shook her head. "I wonder if I'm infertile."

"Why?"

"Well, it's not like we use protection. It's just...never happened, you know?"

"It'll happen, Rinoa," Stephanie assured her. "Are you going to watch Hell in a Cell with me?" She nodded.

"I think I've distracted Shane long enough tonight." She pulled up a chair and sat down beside Stephanie. The two women put their feet up on her desk and sat back, exchanging glances and giggling as the match began on the monitor.


	27. A Day Off

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Day Off**

Shane woke up to find Rinoa sleeping beside him. They had gotten in late the night before. Their luggage was still in the living room, their clothing dropped in a neat pile by the bedroom door. They had been so exhausted when they had gotten in that they had just gotten into their pajamas and gone to bed. Vince had given Rinoa the night off; he wanted Shane to teach her about some of the presentation stuff. But Rinoa was so tired from running around the night before that he wasn't going to wake her up early to make her learn about marketing research and statistics.

He watched her. Everything about her still enraptured him, even though they had been together for close to two years. The way her breathing came out, soft, even. The way her lashes fanned, the way her hair fell around her. She always slept with one hand on Shane, as if she was afraid that he was going to leave her in the middle of the night and disappear forever. He still loved everything about her, and just watching her sleep was one of the simplest joys he had in life. As if his limbs had a mind of their own, his hand reached out to touch her bare shoulder, running down her arm, feeling the goosebumps the crisp morning air had left on her flesh. She groaned and stirred as her eyes slowly opened. "Good morning, beautiful," he said, leaning over and giving her a kiss on the forehead. Still holding onto the comforter, she slid closer to Shane and burrowed her head into his chest.

"Morning, honey," she said as he wrapped his arm around her. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not very long," he confessed. "You know..." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I was thinking that today, we could just have a me and you kind of a day."

"Well, aren't we supposed to go over the presentation thing?"

"It'll still be waiting for us tomorrow," Shane assured her. She chuckled softly.

"Isn't that the truth."

"I thought maybe you and I would kind of veg out...watch movies. Because between you and me, it's fucking cold outside." She laughed. He pulled her closer to him, until her head was rested on his chest. "What do you think about that design Bischoff handed in?"

"You mean the Elimination Chamber?"

"Yeah."

"What a barbaric contraption." Shane chuckled.

"This coming from a girl who used to fight in a ring lined with barbed wire."

"God, I am so glad those days are over." She smiled. "I guess when you put it in that perspective, half the shit I used to do isn't as bad as the Chamber...frankly, though, I think the drawings look really cool. I'd love to see how it looks when it's built."

"So would I...as much as I hate to admit it, Bischoff actually wasn't a bad choice for General Manager...he seems pretty innovative," Shane replied, before taking a shot at Eric. "For a guy who ran WCW." She smiled.

"Did Dad offer you the spot?"

"He tried. Wanted to build up some kind of sibling rivalry storyline with Stephanie and I. But let's be honest. With my position in the company, I don't have the time to be a full time personality. It's difficult enough pulling off part time." She nodded. "Did Steph have the kids talk with you last night?" She jolted, startled.

"How did you know?"

"She's been having that talk with me. Is it starting to get to you half as much as its getting to me?"

"Probably more so. Mom calls once a week to ask if I'm pregnant...your mom and dad are always asking...Stephanie's always talking about it...the guys are asking me about it..." She shook her head. "Seriously...if they want one so bad, they can have one." He chuckled.

"Stephanie said it was a nice talk."

"What did she tell you?"

"Nothing. She just wants a niece or a nephew." Shane examined her laying on his chest. The way her hair feathered out across his skin, the way the ivy green nightgown stood out among the cream colored covers. He stroked her hair soothingly. "Why? What's up?"

"Nothing. It's just Lord knows what's going around with Steph. You'd figure that Hunter, even though he's on different brands, would be reigning her in, because Lord knows nobody else seems to be."

"Did she tell you how things are with Hunter?"

"Yeah. She said they're going better. 'Taking things slowly', she said." Shane toyed with the idea of Stephanie and Hunter giving it another go and he shook his head.

"I don't know, Noa. Maybe they're just better off as friends."

"I don't know," Rinoa said with a shake of her head. She sat up and covered herself with the blanket. The morning was surprisingly cold, and their bedroom window was opened a crack. "Something tells me that there's more going on between the two of them."

"You think so?"

"Stephanie really loves him...and I think he really loves her."

"Kind of like a you and me sort of thing?" he asked, smiling. She smirked.

"Yeah...just with more complications," she replied with a laugh. Shane smiled and her eyes closed as she felt his hands rubbing her back. He saw a small scar, white, almost invisible, above the neckline of her pajamas. He sat up and ran his finger over it.

"Japan?"

"South Korea. You know, for a lot of the stuff I used to do in the ring, it's a miracle I don't have more scars."" Shane chuckled and she felt his lips on her scar.

"Doesn't change a thing," he told her, kissing his way up to the nape of her neck. "You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Rinoa giggled. "Shane...if you don't stop, then there's a good shot that we're not leaving the bed today."

"It's cold out. Are you really complaining?" he asked, trailing kisses along her neck. She giggled as he kissed a patch below her ear. His arm curved around her abdomen, his fingers trailing down her waist, along her thigh, and to the hemline of her nightgown.

"Shane...seriously...we should probably accomplish something, otherwise Dad is..." His lips closed over hers and with that, she was sold.


	28. The Road to Survivor Series

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Road to Survivor Series**

"Jesus, Brock, are you okay?"

There were bloody wadded up tissues strewn about the examination table as Dr. Rios tended to an injured Brock Lesnar. Twenty minutes before, Big Show had decided to make a statement and thrown WWE Champion Brock Lesnar off of the stage, crashing him through some tech equipment. Dr. Rios pressed down on one of Brock's ribs and he cried out in pain, a primal howl that reverberated off the walls.

"God damn it, Brock – I told you to stay backstage!" Paul was in his face, yelling like a madman, the spittle flying from his bloated lips as he raged. "You couldn't listen. What the fuck is the point of me being your agent if you don't listen to a goddamn fucking word I say!"

"Paul..." Brock stammered out. Stephanie was soothing Brock, whose face was contorted in pain, anguish, as he struggled to breathe. Rinoa was at SmackDown to take care of a few things for Vince and was horrified by Heyman's lack of concern. At the moment, Paul Heyman was getting on everybody's nerves.

"I told you!" He ignored Brock and raged as though he were a man possessed. "I told you that you couldn't take on Big Show yourself, but you just couldn't listen, could you, you stupid motherfucker?"

"Paul! Shut up!"

Paul's eyes widened. Rinoa and Stephanie had spoken in unison, their faces contorted in a snarl. Rinoa looked over at security. "Steph?"

"You read my mind. Get him out of here." The security guard motioned for him to follow the guard out, but Paul remained indignant.

"What? You can't do that!" he raged. "This is my client..."

"This is my brand," Stephanie retorted. "You can deal with him at the hotel tonight. But you're getting on my nerves. Get the fuck out." Paul's eyes widened, but the hardened look in Stephanie's eyes told him that he knew better than to argue with her. He followed the guard out in silence, but his anger was clear. Stephanie turned to Dr. Rios. "You got any migraine medication? Paul's given me the worst fucking headache..."

"Yeah. In the back here," he said. "Follow me." The two of them disappeared, leaving Rinoa and Brock. It was an awkward silence until Brock finally spoke.

"I thought you hated me."

"What makes you think that?" she asked.

"Well, Taker is your friend, isn't he?"

"Of course he is. But this is business." She shook her head. "What do you think?"

"My ribs are fucked," he said, touching his side gingerly, yet still wincing at the pain. "I'm definitely sure that they're broken." She sighed.

"Well, we'll get Dr. Rios to give you some pain medication and then we'll get you to the hospital for some X-rays." He nodded as Stephanie and Dr. Rios emerged. "Ferdinand, can you get some pain medication for Brock? Try and soothe the pain before we take him to the hospital." He nodded and grabbed a pill bottle.

"Tylenol 3. This should help a little. But if your ribs are broken, and it sure feels that way, then this is going to do absolutely nothing." Brock nodded, but took the two tablets and sipped back some water, his entire body convulsing with a sharp stab of pain.

"Can you stand?" Stephanie asked. He shot her a glare.

"My ribs are injured. I'm not an invalid," he told her matter-of-factly. Stephanie went to speak, but instead clamped her mouth shut. Rinoa shot Brock a smirk.

"She's speechless...that's a first. Come on, big man. Steph here will accompany you to the hospital."

"You're not coming, Noa?" Steph inquired. She shook her head.

"Your dad has Shane and I working on a joint presentation when we go to Japan...so I'm busy trying to make it as best I can."

"You still have like a month and a half. When do you leave, January?"

Rinoa nodded. "But I have to do all sorts of marketing research and stuff. Statistics from the files they have on their ventures in the Japanese market. They want Shane and I to say that if they make good money from just having dark matches and house shows, that they could pull in all sorts of revenue doing tapings over there and I don't know how to read any of the charts." Stephanie nodded.

"My dad sure knows how to make a vacation business-related, huh?" Rinoa laughed.

"It's not like that. The initial reason we were going is for the presentation and he gave Shane some extra time off. Anyways, I should go. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Noa," Brock said. She smiled.

"Take it easy on those ribs, Lesnar. Madison Square Garden for _Survivor Series._ That's a big thing." He smiled.

"I'll give it a shot," he told her.

"Bye, Steph."

"Bye, Noa. You coming out next week?" She shook her head.

"Thank God. I'm strictly _Raw_ property next week. I need it. Running back and forth between the two shows are killing me." Stephanie smiled. "Breakfast tomorrow?"

"You know it." With that, Rinoa was gone. "Come on, big guy. Let's get you out of here."

"Is she always so nice to everyone?" Brock asked. Stephanie nodded.

"She's not much for being a bitch."

"Good to know."

"Just don't fuck with her too much. She's not one to be hardheaded, but my brother is the complete opposite." He smiled.

"He the jealous type with her?"

"Him? Fuck no. The two of them were more or less meant to be it seems like."

"It must be tough to have a marriage work in this business."

"It is, but marriage is about work. You got a wife, Lesnar?"

He shook his head. "Fiancee. She doesn't like me being out on the road so much though...especially because we had a little girl in April."

"What's her name?"

"Mya."

"Beautiful name."

"Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"If it's any consolation, Heyman's a pain in my ass, too." Stephanie laughed and he chuckled, sucking in a sharp breath as another sharp stab of pain gripped him. Stephanie sighed; it was going to be a long night.

Rinoa arrived back at the hotel and dropped her keys on the table. Shane was off doing some promotion for his father back home at New York, so she was stuck in Colorado by herself. With a sigh, she gathered her pajamas and went to take a bubble bath.

She thought about the upcoming honeymoon with Shane. It was about time. With all the talk about children, however, she couldn't help but wonder if Shane was thinking about starting a family on the honeymoon. Sure, she was still a Diva, but she knew she was out of the Women's title race as it was. Her career had slowed a bit, which was a relief for her since she had spent the better part of her life working to become one of the great female wrestlers. The honest truth was that she worked so hard that retirement didn't seem like an option. In four years she had managed to create a nice nest egg for herself. It wasn't a whole lot, but her home had been paid for, and all she really had to worry about were the other basics. She knew that she and Shane were more or less taken care of, so if she retired and worked backstage it wouldn't be so bad. But she wondered if she was ready to give up the adrenaline rush she felt by stepping through the curtains. She wondered if she'd be able to balance being a mother and being a WWE employee. She knew Shane would support anything she did. But it was still a hard decision.

The phone rang and she rushed out into the main room to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful. I miss you."

She smiled. "I miss you, too. How are you?"

"Good. How about you?"

"It was a bit of a rough night. Big Show threw Brock Lesnar off the stage and we're pretty sure his ribs are broken. He's at the hospital now."

"You didn't go?"

"Not this time. Steph's there with him." She sighed. "I think I've filled my hospital quota for the year with Deadman." Shane chuckled.

"But you know he appreciated you being there."

"I wish he was still on Raw." She smiled sadly. "How is it on your end?"

"Good. I've got a few things prepped for the trip and I'm starting to take care of the honeymoon arrangements, so don't you worry about anything." She smiled. It amazed her how much stress he would put himself under just to give her a moment's peace. "What are you up to tonight?"

"A nice warm bubble bath...some comfy pajamas...and then some sleep. I get to come home tomorrow," she sighed. "I am so glad that I just have to be on _Raw _next week. Dad's been killing me with these double appearances. Yesterday I was in Florida, today I'm in Colorado, and tomorrow I get to fly back to New York."

"I know it's been pretty rough on you. I can just hear the exhaustion. Rinoa, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Shane," she assured him. "But I've got to get to my bath before it floods bubbles."

Shane chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow. You coming in with Steph?"

"No. She's on the flight to Hartford, and I'm coming home."

"What time are you due in?"

"Three, I think. I can't quite remember. I'll call you from the airport with the information."

"All right, honey. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you, too, Shane-O." With a sweet goodbye, she hung up the phone and rushed into the bathroom, praying everything hadn't spilled over.


	29. Welcome Home b

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Welcome Home**

Rinoa ran from the airplane, through the hordes of people and jumped into the arms of her husband. He caught her gratefully and spun her in a half circle, putting her down and giving her a kiss. It still surprised Rinoa that they were still so passionate with one another after all the time they had spent together. She smiled at him. "You look beautiful. How was breakfast with Steph?"

"She cancelled. She was at the hospital with Brock until three this morning. She arranged a later flight so she could get some sleep." Shane laughed.

"What's the prognosis with Brock?"

"I think she said two of his ribs are broken, but he said he'll defend the title against Big Show at _Survivor Series_."

"Stubborn man."

"Taker's worse. He's older and set in his ways. Talking him out of anything is like trying to hit a fly with a train." Shane laughed, taking her hand in his.

"I took the phone off the hook this weekend." She laughed.

"Dad harassing you that much?"

"It's worse. Your parents, too. 'How is our daughter'? 'Have you thought about starting a family'? 'Oh, you two would make great parents.'" Shane made a grimace. "It was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had to sit through...and I had to live through the whole Montreal thing." Rinoa laughed. "If I had been in high school for that, my ass would have been so kicked." She smiled and nestled herself under his arm as he led her towards the baggage check. They watched until he recognized her bag and grabbed it for her.

"Shane...I can..."

"No." He gave her a kiss on the side of her head and led her out of the airport. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Why?"

"Well," he said, leading her to the car. He put her bag in the trunk and opened the door for her. "I was thinking...we could go home, take a nap and then go out for dinner. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Sounds like a plan, but don't be surprised if I sleep for a month." Shane cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you...?"

"Shane...I'm not pregnant. Christ, they're making you paranoid, aren't they?"

"You don't even know," Shane replied, starting the car. They pulled out of the airport and began the forty minute drive to the house.

Shane watched her sleep. He couldn't sleep. The thoughts of starting a family with Rinoa were running through his head. Why did everyone care so much if he and Rinoa had children right away? They were still young; Shane thirty-two, Rinoa twenty-four. The World Wrestling Entertainment was at least three full time jobs in itself. Shane and Rinoa barely had time for one another, but did they really have time to be parents?

Rinoa looked so peaceful in her sleep. The image of her sleeping on his chest was something that always made his day, and was always something he thought about while he was halfway around the world, away from her, missing her, closing his eyes and remembering the way she felt under his arm, the way she would wake up and plant soft kisses on his stomach to make him stir. There was so much about her that he loved. To him, she was the personification of perfection.

He wasn't going to lie; all the talk about pregnancy was making him wonder just how wonderful it would be. To see her belly swelling, knowing that what was inside was something they made. To watch her glow with that pregnancy radiance. He knew that they would make great parents. They were so devoted to everything in their life that a child wouldn't be any different. He wondered what it'd be like to have a son, and how wonderful it would be to just take some time and watch him grow up, teach him about the world. Or how it would be to have a daughter, and to protect her from everything wrong with the world.

Shane was honest; he wasn't in a rush to have children. Neither was Rinoa; she still had a career, and Vince was heaping a career on camera and off camera on her. She had no time to even think about having children. He wondered about it sometimes. They were intimate as often as they could be with their schedules, and they weren't using protection. There wasn't a pregnancy yet. Shane didn't feel pressure, but he always wondered if it bothered Rinoa because of all the consistent speculation. She probably felt a lot of pressure to become a mother, and to give up her career, and it was obvious she wasn't quite ready to do that just yet.

He felt her arm squeeze around him tighter as her body shifted. She did so much for the people around her, and it always seemed like she got so little in return. Spending constant nights at the hospital with the guys, taking their issues to Vince, helping them with creative stuff, rehearsing lines with them. She never really went out anymore, she was always busy working on things. She was still young, and Shane was pretty sure that she wasn't having much of a life. She sure didn't seem to be while he was around. But she shouldered it all like a soldier, and never complained. He wished she would; she was only human and it felt like she was taking on the world.

Tonight was a night that wasn't about the business. He couldn't keep asking her to make it a twenty-four hour priority when everyone was also harping on her to have a family. It wasn't fair. He knew it was bothering her. She had been asleep for around an hour and he just watched her, reveling in the feel of her silky hair beneath his fingertips. She had been so exhausted, with Vince making her fly across the country to catch Raw and SmackDown. He didn't think it was fair that everyone got to work on one show while Rinoa was pulling double shifts, but she never complained, with the exception of the jetlag. It was natural; she would fly from Colorado after Raw to California for SmackDown and most of the people around her had enjoyed three or so days off.

She started to stir and he wondered if that was her waking up. A few kisses on his stomach made him smile. "Good nap?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair. She nodded.

"You?"

"I didn't sleep." She slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"If you couldn't sleep, you didn't have to lie here, you know," she told him. Her eyes were still a little glazed over. He leaned in and kissed her softly. A dreamy smile crossed her face when he pulled back. He smiled back at her.

"I wanted to." He ran a hand through her hair, reveling in the feel of it. "You want to go get ready and we'll go out for dinner?" She nodded, pulling back the covers and making her way over to the closet. She was dressed in a yellow Shane O'Mac jersey that fell just below her backside. She may have been wearing a burlap sack and Shane would have thought it was the sexiest thing in the world. But he loved that she slept in his jerseys. She went searching through the closet for something to wear as he watched her. She pulled an emerald green halter dress from the closet and threw it on the bed. Closing the closet, she turned around, unbuttoning the jersey to reveal an emerald green matching bra and panty set with a black trim. She noticed Shane visibly stiffen from his spot under the blankets. "You okay, hon?"

"Me? I'm great," he replied, putting his hands behind his head, taking in the image of his wife. She shook her head, scoffing.

"Pervert."

"You love me." She nodded and slid the dress on over her head. He climbed out of bed and made his way over to her, resting his hands on her hips and leaning in to give her a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back feverishly. He pulled back and smiled, grabbing his slacks from the edge of the bed. "Just as much as I love you." She smiled. He pulled on his slacks and rearranged his shirt, tucking it in while Rinoa brushed her hair and quickly applied some mascara to her lashes and gloss to her lips. Placing her brush on the vanity table, she and Shane shut out the lights and went to spend a night on the town.


	30. HBIC

**Chapter Thirty: Head Bitch in Charge**

Trish Stratus was in the ring, celebrating a win over Stacy Keibler. She had made short work of the Baltimore Diva, leaving her rolling out of the ring and making her way up the ramp in defeat while Trish celebrated, taking in the adulation while Stacy stumbled backwards in humiliation. She was standing on the second rope, arm raised in the air with her index finger out. She jumped off and turned in time to be jumped by Victoria. Molly Holly was with her, kicking and catcalling at Trish, who was hurdled in the fetal position, crying out in pain as the two Divas jumped her cowardly.

The women felt a vibration in the ring and turned in time to be hit with a double clothesline from Rinoa. Trish began gasping for breath and trying to recover as Rinoa turned her attention to Molly Holly, trading shot for shot with the curvy Diva. Victoria went to grab at Rinoa, but Trish was already up and about and she grabbed Victoria and started trading shots with her as well. The two face Divas grabbed the heels and expelled them from the ring, sending them sailing over the top rope to the padded mat below. Molly and Victoria scampered to their feet and made their way backwards up the ramp, shouting at Trish and Rinoa in the ring.

"This isn't over, Rinoa!" Molly shouted, rubbing her jaw.

"You know where to find me, Molly," Rinoa shouted back, one foot on the bottom rope, the other on the second, her hands clasped around the top rope. Trish was about two inches behind Rinoa, pointing and shouting back and forth with Victoria. The two heels disappeared behind the curtain and Rinoa managed to get back down onto the canvas. Trish gave her a hug.

"I owe you one," Trish informed her. Rinoa shrugged.

"I've been itching to get at Molly for a while." Rinoa grabbed Trish around the wrist and held her arms up in the air. They smiled as the fans rained adulation on them. Rinoa wasn't dressed to compete; wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top, her hair in a ponytail that was falling out. Letting go of Trish's arm, they let their hands drop and got out of the ring. Slapping hands with fans, they began to make their way backstage.

"What a save!" Ivory exclaimed, slapping hands with Rinoa. "God, that Victoria is one crazy bitch! I hope she knows not to step in my path."

Rinoa shook her head. "I don't think she'll step in your path for a while. This seems to be something personal between her and Trish."

"Must have felt good to punch Molly in that Puritan face of hers."

"You have no idea."

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Rinoa's shoulders slumped in defeat. Ivory shot a look at her. "I'll catch you later."

"Sure thing." With that, Rinoa turned around to face a seething Eric Bischoff. "What are you talking about, Eric?"

"First, I find out that you're running back and forth between Raw and SmackDown, and now you're running out to fight battles for the other Divas. Just what am I going to do with you?"

"I've been on SmackDown on business," Rinoa replied defensively. "If you have an issue with that, you can take it up with Vince. It'd be less work for me."

"What was up with you going out there?" he asked. "This is Trish's fight and Trish's fight alone. You have no place sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"Excuse me? But the fight is now between her and Victoria. She doesn't have to put up with being double teamed every time she turns around." She stared at Eric in disbelief. "What's your issue with Trish all of a sudden? Did she turn you down for a date or something?"

"Please," he scoffed. "Spare me. I'm married."

"Isn't she lucky?" Rinoa spat back in sarcasm. She was even surprised with herself. But she knew Eric couldn't really throw his weight around with her too much. She was still at a point where she disliked acknowledging that she was a McMahon backstage, but she knew that sometimes if she didn't say anything, people were just going to see how bad they could treat her before she said something. She was always reluctant to go to Shane about anything. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, straightened her spine and glared into Eric's eyes.

"If you have any issues about me working double shifts here, then take it up with Vince," she told him. "Otherwise, stay out of my way and I'll be sure to stay out of yours." With that, she left him seething in the hallway.

"Hey – you all right? You look pissed."

"Yeah. I just had the biggest pain in my ass," she murmured. Trish smirked.

"Bischoff on your case?" Rinoa nodded, a smile crossing her features as they laughed. "What's his beef?"

"Well, for one thing, he's pissed off I've been showing up on SmackDown...the second is that I came out to help you. He's pretty pissed about that for some unknown reason."

"He wanted a fling with me," Trish replied. "Showed up here after Raw went off the air last week trying to talk me into going back to his hotel with him. Said he'd see to it I was protected for Survivor Series."

"You serious?"

"Dead fucking serious," Trish replied. She shook her head in disgust. "I've been down that road once, and I have no desire to go back down the road of sleeping with the boss." Rinoa nodded, and grabbed her water bottle out of the cubby. "So what did you tell him about going to SmackDown?"

"I told him if it bothered him so damn bad, he could take it up with Vince. Like, seriously, does he think I enjoy working double the schedule of everyone else? Yes, I live and breathe this business and love this business...but, I'm married, and would enjoy seeing my husband sometimes."

"How are things with Shane?" Trish asked. Rinoa smiled.

"Fine. If everyone would back the fuck up on the child-rearing front."

"Everyone's pushing for a family?"

"Yeah...but they don't want me to retire either. It's so balanced." Trish laughed. Rinoa smirked. "Shane's not here tonight; he's back in Stamford with Vince going over stuff for January's presentation."

"You're going over there, aren't you?" Rinoa nodded.

"Vince gave us an extra week off so that we can have a honeymoon."

"You two still haven't had one?" Rinoa shook her head.

"No time." Rinoa took a sip of water.

"Did you want to come out with us tonight?"

"I don't know," Rinoa replied. "I'm jetlagged. Still working on presentation stuff. I want to make this the best presentation I can...I'm even trying to teach myself a little Japanese to look better with the investors." Trish was surprised.

"You're not having much of a life, huh?"

"None whatsoever." Trish's expression softened.

"Come out with Ivory and I. At least have a drink or two with us before you leave. But you need to come out. Get out some stress."

Rinoa thought about it. Trish had a point. This wasn't a life for a twenty-four year-old. She had traveled around the world, had her fun. Shane was still balancing everything, and still having more of a life than she had. She didn't know how to balance her new role just yet. But she knew that Shane hardly ever worked on SmackDown; since Stephanie was over there. With Vince sending her from coast to coast, back and forth between the two shows, she wasn't having time to adjust to the time zones. She loved the business, but at the same time hated having a busier schedule than everyone else, especially when she wasn't rested. On top of working the two shows, working on the backstage stuff and the on camera stuff, and the various roles and jobs seeping into her home life, she was still balancing personal appearances and autograph signings. But she knew Trish was right. With the talk of having a family with adjusting to her role within the company, she was wound up tighter than a stopwatch. She sighed.

"Yeah. You, me and Ivory. Jagershots. Let's go."


	31. New York City Screwjob

**Chapter Thirty-One: New York City Screwjob**

Rinoa was overwhelmed when she entered Madison Square Garden hand in hand with Shane the night of _Survivor Series_. Sure, she'd been in the arena a few times before, but it always gave her this feeling of intimidation. Madison Square Garden was always considered to be the "Mecca of Sports Entertainment"; three generations of McMahons had promoted boxing and wrestling events over the years at the legendary arena. It was the biggest in New York City.

Rinoa had a match on _Heat_ against Molly Holly, retaliation for Rinoa stepping in to help Trish on Monday. Trish and Victoria themselves would be clashing at _Survivor Series._ Shane walked her over to the Divas locker room. "Jesus, Noa, you'd think you'd never competed here before."

"I know," she said with a soft laugh. "I'm just so nervous." He leaned in and kissed her softly.

"After the show tonight, we're going drinking with a few of the guys. We've also got a surprise for you."

"For me?" She cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Here...I'll tell you." He motioned for her to lean her head closer. She did. "It's a surprise," he whispered. She bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. He kissed her cheek. "Break a leg, beautiful. I love you."

"Love you, too." With that, she entered the Divas locker room. Trish and Terri were already there, getting ready. Trish was wearing a pair of black vinyl pants and a black halter top, a glimmering black coat over her suit. Terri was dressed in a pair of patched jeans and a red and black striped tube top. It was clear she had just arrived as well.

"Hey, Rinoa. Ready for your match tonight?" Terri asked. Rinoa nodded, dropping her bag on a nearby bench. "What match are you looking forward to tonight?"

"The Elimination Chamber. I got to see the drawings before Eric started having it built and it looked so cool."

"The videos I've seen it looks pretty barbaric," Trish replied with a disdainful look on her face. Rinoa shrugged.

"I've done way worse than that in my time." Terri smiled. Rinoa and Terri had met a few years before, when Terri had made a stop in Mexico with WCW. It was a brief meeting, nothing to write home about, but it had been Rinoa's first exposure to a big name company.

"Craziest match you ever had?"

"C4 match in Seoul. Mick Foley has been in one, too. Me and Hiroko Hitomi were the first two women to ever have one of these matches. We padded up with protective gear like you wouldn't believe. I accidentally stepped on a C4 and it went off and just about melted my boot to my foot. We were both burned up something awful after the match. It wasn't fun in the slightest. I think I was nineteen, willing to do anything to make a name for myself. I was at WCW within the year, I believe. Surprisingly enough, I don't think I have a single burn scar from that match."

"That's insane," Terri replied. Trish nodded incredulously.

"Oh yeah. I did a lot of crazy shit before I got signed to a major league company. I still have barbed wire scars here and there. They're not uber noticeable, but it's enough to remind me of all the stupidity I've committed in the past." Rinoa pulled out a pair of black vinyl pants and a black glittering spaghetti strapped top. Trish and Terri stared at her outfit in distaste. Rinoa caught the stares.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"You're not going out there looking like _that_ are you?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"No, no, no, no, no," Terri replied, going to her bag. Trish went to hers. Rinoa sighed.

"Guys, I'm only competing on _Heat."_

"So? You're a Diva. Look the part." Rinoa laughed and Terri handed her a little black top. Rinoa sighed and pulled off her sweater, putting the shirt on over her baseball patterned bra. She tied it up tightly.

"That better?"

"Much." Trish replied, throwing black wristbands at Rinoa. She slid them on and then put on the vinyl pants. Grabbing her boots, she sat down on a chair and put them on.

_"Forfeit the game before somebody else takes you outta the frame...put your name to shame...cover up your face. You can't run the race, the pace is too fast, it just won't last."_

The music blared through the arena and the fans cheered as Rinoa made her way through the curtain, waving and slapping hands with the fans before sliding into the ring. She made her way to the corner closest to the announce table and stood on the middle turnbuckle to take in the adulation. Her theme faded and she jumped back down to the canvas, turning to look at the ramp for Molly Holly to make her way to the ring.

Molly's music started and she made her way out in a white sleeveless shirt and black pants, an ugly scowl on her face. Rinoa was jumping from foot to foot, pacing back and forth as though she were a caged animal. Molly climbed up the steps and into the ring and instantly charged at Rinoa. The referee quickly rang the bell as Rinoa ducked it. Molly turned in time to be leveled with a clothesline. The fans were hot, crazy, waiting for _Survivor Series _to start. It was going to be a hell of a night, Rinoa knew that much. Saliva was prepping up at The World in Times Square; they would be performing their new hit "Always", which was the anthem for the show. Victoria and Trish were going at it in a hardcore match for Trish's Women's Championship. The Elimination Chamber, Big Show-Brock Lesnar. It was a big card.

The match ended when Rinoa hit a facebuster on Molly Holly and covered for the three count. The bell rang, Lilian announced her the winner and Rinoa rolled out of the ring and bolted up the ramp. She wanted to clean up and sit down and watch the show.

"Trish...breathe. God damn it, Trish, breathe!"

"Her airways are closing," Ferdinand told her. He looked over at the EMTs. "We need to get her to the hospital and fast."

"Come on," Rinoa replied. Trish and referee Charles Robinson had suffered allergic reactions to the fire extinguisher that Victoria had produced from under the ring. Trish's eyes were swollen and she was having a panic attack as her throat closed up. The EMTs rested Trish on a nearby gurney and Rinoa walked with Trish out towards the back. She pulled out her phone and called Shane.

"Shane O'Mac."

"Hey, honey, it's me. I'm on my way to the hospital with Trish and Charles."

"What? What happened?"

"They've had an allergic reaction to the fire extinguisher. Their airways are closing and Trish is having a massive panic attack."

"Jesus. Okay, honey. If you don't make it back by the end of the show, we'll be at the World. Send my best wishes to Trish and Charlie." She nodded. "Love you."

"Love you, too," she replied and hung up the phone, rushing down the parking lot towards her car. The only thing she could wonder was how many times she had been to a hospital in the last month.

Trish and Charles were released an hour after _Survivor Series _had ended, their airways cleared up and the redness in their eyes taken down considerably. Rinoa drove them back to the arena to get their stuff. "Thanks for putting up with me," Trish replied. Rinoa shrugged it off.

"Don't worry about it, you guys. Are you guys sure you're going to be okay to drive home?"

"I'm driving with Terri, so I'll just give her the keys," Trish replied. Rinoa nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Charles?"

"I'm riding with Patton." She nodded.

"All right. If you guys need anything, just give me a call. I'll be at the World with Shane." They nodded and climbed out of the car, offering her another thanks. Shane had gathered her things after she had left. When they had disappeared in the arena, Rinoa took a minute. She was exhausted.

"Noa!" The table went up in cheers as she approached. "You made it."

"Barely." She took her spot next to Shane. "They're fine, though. Making their way back to the hotel." A waitress made her way over to them. Rinoa smiled. "Apple martini." She nodded and Shane cocked an eyebrow.

"I swear, every hospital in the United States must know you by first name basis," Shawn Michaels replied with a chuckle. He had emerged victorious in the Elimination Chamber, but sported some stitches as a result.

"It sure seems that way," she breathed. Shane could sense the exhaustion in her voice. He got out of his chair.

"I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"You'll see." With that, he disappeared. She had a short fuse at the moment. She looked over at Brock.

"What happened with Big Show?"

"Paul Heyman. Fucking scumsucker." She nodded; he didn't need to say anymore. It had been coming for weeks. She could sense that Paul Heyman was going to turn on Brock since his ribs had been broken.

"You'll get the title back, Brock. Don't stress yourself out too much about it..."

"Still...it was such a fucking screwjob!"

"I know...but you'll get your hands on Paul Heyman...and you'll become the most loved guy in the locker room for it. He smirked.

"Rinoa!"

She looked over and squealed in delight, jumping out of her chair. "Randy!" she shouted, giving him a hug. He hugged her back, a smile on his face. "Oh, my God! What are you doing here?"

"I had to do a World appearance tonight for Survivor Series, so I thought maybe I'd hang out with you guys." She smiled.

"How's your collarbone?"

"Great. I actually have some great news."

"What's that?"

"I'm _Raw _property."

"Get out."

"Dead serious."

"That's so awesome." The waitress arrived with her martini and Rinoa took a huge sip. Randy shot a look at Shane.

"Whoa, Noa. Don't sip that too fast. Have you had dinner?" She stopped and shook her head. "Rinoa, when was the last time you ate?"

She stopped and contemplated it for a second. "Shane, did I have breakfast this morning?"

"No. You were in a rush to get to the arena."

"There's your answer." Randy shook his head.

"Not healthy, Rinoa. Put the drink down and order something for dinner." She sighed, but listened. They all sat down. Randy ordered a beer and Rinoa ordered some mozzarella sticks to snack on. Randy kept her drink close to him while she waited. She liked that he was looking after her as much as he did.

"When are you due back in the ring?"

"Pretty quick," he said. "I'll be at Raw tomorrow night." A wide smile crossed her face as she leaned her head against Shane's shoulder. The mozzarella sticks arrived within minutes and she took her drink back from Randy. She took a large sip again, grimacing at the taste. "What's with the big drinking?"

"Long night, long week, long month, long year," she murmured. "If I see the inside of another hospital, it'll be too soon." Shane knew it was getting to her to run back and forth between the arenas and the hospitals. The last time she went to the hospital, nobody came with her, and Shane couldn't get there until after the show. It had been back when they were dating. But he knew Rinoa had too big of a heart to not show up and make sure her colleagues were all right. Regardless of how she felt about them. She munched on a mozzarella stick.

"Plans for _Armageddon?" _Rinoa asked. Shawn shrugged.

"I think they want me to do something more with Hunter." They nodded. Saliva was onstage, performing "Lackluster" for the fans.

"You two getting excited for your honeymoon?" Brock asked. Randy smirked.

"From the way Rinoa's drinking, I'm going to say it can't come fast enough." Rinoa blushed and Shane laughed.

"I think Rinoa and I could use a break from you deviants," Shane replied. Shawn shook his head and Randy flashed him the middle finger. Shane laughed and ordered another kamikaze while Rinoa got another martini.

"Noa?"

"Uh huh?"

"Are you okay?"

The two of them were lying in bed a few hours later. Rinoa was pleasantly buzzed, Shane was feeling pretty good himself. She had dressed into a pair of drawstring pants and a tank top and curled up beside him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Orton has a point. I've never seen you drink like that." He sighed, stroking her hair. "You're burning out, aren't you?" Rinoa sighed.

"I'm fine..."

"Rinoa, you're not talking to Dad here. You're talking to me." She sighed.

"I guess I am, kind of," she admitted. "Everyone gets to talk about what they're doing on their days off and I haven't had time to even separate my personal life and my professional life. One day I'm in Tallahassee, Florida. I wake up in the morning and I'm on a plane to Seattle, Washington. Then it's back to New York, but not before a stop over in Colorado for an autograph signing or personal appearance, and then it's back home to work on this presentation. I've made enough trips to the hospital where they can just look at me and go, 'Down the hall, Mrs. McMahon', and although I'm doing this backstage stuff, on camera I am going nowhere. I'm doing _Heat _matches with thrown-together storylines, for Christ's sakes."

"So you want another run with the Women's title?"

"No. The Women's Championship is not the point. I mean, it would be nice, but the new Divas deserve a shot with it. I just want a storyline that I can run with, can expand on, create. Go back and forth with for a while." She sighed. "I don't know why, but everything's just getting to me lately."

"It's understandable, Rinoa. You're burning the candle at both ends, and it's only eventual that you're going to burn out. It's admirable that you're trying to balance it all, but Dad is really putting you through the ringer."

"Shane?"

"What?"

"Do you ever get jealous that I'm close with Randy Orton?"

He chuckled. "No. Watching him put you in line tonight makes me feel better when I'm away. Even though Taker's on SmackDown, and I'm usually all over the place, it's nice to know that someone is going to watch over you."

"I love you, Shane."

"I love you, too. Get some rest. You're not doing a damn thing tomorrow if I have to tie you to the bed." Rinoa chuckled.

"Get the thought out of your head, Shane. I'm too tired." With a laugh he leaned over and shut out the light. "Anyways, I have to be at Raw tomorrow night." Shane chuckled.

"Go to sleep."


	32. For Rinoa

**Chapter Thirty-Two: For Rinoa**

"Dad, we need to talk."

"Not now, Shane-O."

"Dad. Now."

Vince sighed. "I'll call you back." He hung up the phone and Shane closed the door to his makeshift office at Madison Square Garden. It was still early in the morning; Shane had left Rinoa sleeping, knowing full well his father would be at the arena early to get the day going. He sat down in his chair. Shane stayed standing. "What is it, Shane? Where's Rinoa?"

"Sleeping. Something she hasn't been getting much of lately. Dad, we need to talk about how hard you're working her. She's pulling double the schedule of the road crew and the Superstars."

"I don't hear her complaining."

"That's not fair, Dad, and you know it," Shane bit back. "She doesn't want anyone to think she's getting special treatment because she's married to me, but that's no excuse to work her as hard as you are. She's crossing time zones left and right for nothing more than a couple hours of sleep before having to fly back out. She's not even doing anything meaningful in the ring to constitute the work schedule you have her working.

"She's spending nights in the hospital with the guys, she is working two shows backstage and one show on camera, plus pay-per-views. She's been up all hours of the night working on this presentation in January, teaching herself about business. And the constant harping on us about having children is not helping her any." Vince looked up.

"Shane, sit down."

"I'm fine standing."

"Shane, sit." With a sigh, Shane took a seat in front of his father. "Rinoa didn't send you to talk to me, did she?"

He shook his head. "No. She wouldn't. She's so fucking concerned with being the 'perfect fit' in this family that she's willing to burn herself out to make you happy." He shook his head. "Last night, she competed, then went with Trish and Charles to the hospital so they had a ride home before coming out with us to the World. She hadn't gone out in ages. She's only twenty-four, Dad. She has so much still to learn about the business, and trying to cram it into her all at once is only going to make her lose passion for it. We can't afford to lose a Diva like Rinoa, Dad."

"Do you think it would come to that?"

"Dad, you're flying her coast to coast to do dark matches and Heat. After awhile, anyone would get discouraged. She's feeling down because she hasn't had a meaningful storyline."

"So she wants the Women's title?"

"No, Dad. It's not that simple." He leaned back in his chair. "She wants to have a meaningful storyline. She wants to be involved with the input and just make it her own thing." Vince nodded.

"I think I'll see what I can do with her. But I'll give her something she can run with." He sighed. "You're right, Shane. I do work her pretty hard. But she's handled it so well."

"I know she has, but now she's starting to crack. She needs a break."

"Well, it's about a month until your honeymoon. I'll set something up to culminate at _Armageddon_ and then we'll take her off TV so she can go." Shane nodded. "It won't be anything uber meaningful, but let her know that I do have something planned down the line."

"Anything you want to fill me in on?"

"When the time is right." Shane knew better than to ask his father; he wasn't going to say anything more.

"If Rinoa asks, we didn't have this talk." Vince nodded. He understood that Rinoa was doing her best to adjust and fit in with the hectic schedules they lived. And he doubted she'd be all that impressed that Shane had come and talked to Vince on her behalf...even if his heart was in the right place.

Rinoa was awake and dressed by the time Shane came back with breakfast. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white button-down shirt, her hair back in a low ponytail. She turned and smiled when he entered the room. "I wondered where you went. I must have been so tired last night if I didn't hear you leave."

"You must have been bagged if you didn't hear Dad call," he lied. She cocked an eyebrow. "He wanted to talk to me about a few things."

"Anything big?"

"I think so. It sure seems that way. He said that you'll be in something for the next month...then you'll be 'injured' at _Armageddon_ so you can take the time off with me...and then he sounds like he has something huge planned...but he's not elaborating."

"Dad's secretive like that, though. But I am curious." He handed her a coffee and she took a sip.

"You look better this morning, Rinoa," he told her, draping an arm over her. "You look rested." She burrowed her head onto his shoulder.

"It doesn't mean I am," she confessed. "I'm still exhausted." Shane cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not pregnant, Shane. Is it starting to make you paranoid, too?" He sighed and chuckled, placing a kiss on the side of her head. She sighed. "I'm probably suffering from hysterical pregnancy. You know, I'm starting to think I'm infertile."

Shane jolted at the word. He shook his head. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, nothing's happened yet," she replied. "And it's not like we're using protection...and nothing's happening." Shane shook his head.

"Rinoa, don't stress yourself out about it," he told her. "It will happen when it's meant to happen. There's no rush." He took her coffee cup and placed it on the table before enveloping her with his arms. "It's not like everyone can just snap their fingers and you'll get pregnant. There's a lot of work involved, you know?" He felt her body shake with laughter against him and he grinned.

"Look, if it worries you that much, we'll give it a shot over our honeymoon, all right? And if nothing happens, and you're still worried, we'll go to the doctor and see what we can do. But don't panic. Christ, we're newlyweds...we haven't even had a honeymoon yet. I'm not worried about kids." She nodded in agreement, her arms clutched around him. "Anyways, breathe easy. I don't think Mom and Dad are going to be getting on our case about it pretty soon."

"How do you figure?"

"I told Dad to back off on it. It's ridiculous." He kissed the top of her head. "It's obviously putting too much pressure on you, and that's not healthy, Noa." He sighed. "Don't worry about the rest of the presentation." She pulled back.

"Shane..."

"Noa, you've been doing way too much lately," he told her. "It's almost finished. I can do the last of it myself. What's important now is getting you relaxed as much as possible. You're on a fast track to a nervous breakdown, Rinoa. I would hate to see that happen to you." She sighed, nestling her head back on his chest. "Are you ready for Raw tonight?"

She nodded. "Randy should be there tonight. Do you think Dad's going to want me to keep managing him until _Armageddon?"_

"It's a possibility," Shane told her. "He's not telling me anything." He kissed her forehead. "Call Trish."

"Huh? Why?"

"I think you two could use a girl's day today. Give her a call. Go shopping. Do something. I'll see you at the arena tonight, all right?" She nodded. He finished the last of his coffee. "I mean it, Rinoa. Call Trish and go out, have some fun." She nodded. She had an idea of what she wanted to do with Trish. Shane gave her a kiss. "Love you, beautiful."

"Love you, too, Shane-O." He smirked and disappeared. Rinoa went over to the bed and picked up the phone. She dialed down to Trish's room.

"Hello?"

"How are you feeling?"

"My throat's a little sore this morning. Nothing some tea and lozenges can't help. How about you? You looked absolutely wrecked last night."

"I still feel pretty worn out, but Shane wants me to go out today and do something. Do you think you'd feel up to it?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Well, Shane and I are going on our honeymoon pretty quick, so I thought it might be a good idea to get some new lingerie for it. Do you know any great places around here?"

"You know I do. I'll be up in five."

"Thanks, Trish." Rinoa hung up the phone and gathered her things. Shane was probably right. She just needed a day out with a friend.


	33. Across The Nation

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Across The Nation**

"Randy!"

Rinoa ran over to him and gave him a hug. She was dressed in a short black dress, a pair of black round-toe heels on her feet. "Would you get a load of this?" Randy chuckled as he hugged her. "I got my own welcoming committee." He shot a smile at Chris Jericho. Chris smiled.

"I know. Isn't it wonderful? You take her through the curtains and she becomes your own personal cheerleader." They all laughed.

"What's up, Randy?" she asked.

"I just came from Vince's office," Randy replied. "He wants you back to managing me, Rinoa. It looks like you and me up against Molly Holly and Maven. You up for it?"

"Of course I am," she said with a wide smile. She gave him another hug, as if he were a long lost family member. "I am so glad you're back."

"I'm going to get a coffee," Randy replied. "You coming with?"

"You know it." She mouthed goodbye to Chris. Randy held out his arm and she took it as he led her down the hallway. Randy smiled. "How was your time off with Samantha?"

"Great. I really think she's The One, Rinoa." She smiled. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure you can."

"Well, with you and Shane...did you know right away that he was it?" Rinoa smiled.

"Yeah. It sounds really cheesy, but from the first time he kissed me, I was done. Hook, line and sinker." Randy laughed. "Hey...it was New Year's Eve, in Times Square in the middle of New York at midnight. It couldn't get anymore romantic than that. I think he knew it, too. Word of advice, Randall: the more romantic you are, the harder the woman's going to fall for you." He laughed.

"You're still so smitten with him," Randy chuckled, pouring Rinoa a cup of coffee. "I hope when I'm married and raising a family with Samantha, that we're just like the two of you." Rinoa blushed as she added some sugar to her coffee. Randy just drank it black. "So your honeymoon's coming up pretty quick, huh?"

"Yeah. We leave January fourteenth. Vince is going to write me off at _Armageddon_ so I think I'm going to wind up selling a move from Maven. What's the word on Hunter's faction?"

"So far, not too much. He should be pulling it off the ground pretty fast, though." He stared at her. "I'm going to miss not having you around, though. I've learned a lot from you." She scoffed. "No, it's true. You're a lot wiser beyond your years, Rinoa. The fact you're a hotter, female version of Mick Foley doesn't hurt things either." She laughed.

She smiled. "Well, if it's any consolation, I'll miss having you around, too. I think Vince has something planned for me next year, but he's playing it close to the vest. Won't tell Shane anything either."

"Sounds like Vince. My dad always says that when he's got a big idea, he keeps it pretty quiet." Rinoa nodded.

"I've been working here for two years now, and if he doesn't want you to know something, you're not going to find out, regardless of who you are." She put some more sugar in her coffee and some cream and took a sip. It tasted a little better. Randy gave her a once over.

"Noa, are you sure you're okay? You look a little off." She nodded, flashing him a reassuring smile.

"I've just been working really hard. I'm fine," she answered, taking a sip. "Truthfully, though, I'm at a point where I don't even know what time zone I'm in." Randy's expression softened.

"How often are you seeing Shane?"

"Not very much," she confessed. "Vince keeps him just about as busy as he keeps me." She shook her head. "Don't tell anyone, Randy, but I'm having a hard time adjusting to the two roles at once." Randy sipped his coffee.

"You've handled it well, Noa. You're like Superwoman." Rinoa laughed.

"That's a bit of a stretch." She sipped her coffee. "I doubt Superwoman burns out." He laughed. He sensed she didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he changed the subject.

"That Elimination Chamber is a hell of a creation, huh?"

"Yeah," she answered. "It looks amazing though." Randy nodded. She threw her stir stick into a nearby garbage can and made her way down the hallway with Randy. They needed to get ready before the show started.

"Hey, Rinoa!" Molly taunted to the booing crowd. She was dressed in her ring gear; a blue corset top with black pants that accentuated her wide hips. "I want you to get out here so I can humiliate you in front of all of these people. Get out here!" She stopped and waited for the music to start. When it didn't, she continued to taunt. "What's the matter, Rinoa? You afraid that a _real _Diva can beat you down? Come out here!"

The lights went down and the music started. The lights flared up and Rinoa stepped out, dressed in her ring gear; a red glimmering halter top with black shorts and boots. She had a microphone in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Molly, do you ever get tired of hearing yourself speak?" Rinoa asked, as the crowd cheered. She shook her head, walking back and forth along the stage.

"If you think I'm going to come down to that ring, you're out of your mind," Rinoa snapped. "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not stupid. If you think I'm going to walk down that ramp and get jumped by you _and _Maven, you're so stupid." She smiled. "I will come down to that ring, and I'll take you both on...me...and my partner!"

Randy's music kicked up and she smiled as Randy burst through the curtain. The adrenaline was surging through him; it was so clear to Rinoa that he was ecstatic to be back in action. Slapping their hands together, the two of them made their way down the ramp towards the ring. Molly and Maven had a look of irritation on their face, their plans of double teaming Rinoa seemingly shattered. They slid into the ring and Randy went after Maven and Rinoa went after Molly as the referee had the bell rang to start the match.

It was fast paced; it looked like Randy hadn't suffered an ounce of ring rust in his time off. Rinoa stood on the ring corner, a wide smile on her face. She was so happy to see Randy back. He had become like a younger brother to her in their time together. She saw nothing but big things in his future.

The match came to a finish when Randy hit the RKO on Maven. Molly had run in to interfere, but Rinoa had leapt over the top rope and leveled her with a cross-body block as the referee made the three count. Rinoa kicked Molly out of the ring and turned to see a smiling Randy with his arm raised. She made her way over to him and gave him a hug.

"I don't know if it's possible," she commented to him, pulling back, "But you've gotten better in your time off." He laughed and grabbed her wrist, raising her hand high.

Backstage, Rinoa was having a hard time coming down from her adrenaline high. She was high fiving everybody and talking quickly. It was as though she had a new surge of energy, something that had eluded her in the last few months. "Great stuff out there, Orton," Trish replied. She slapped hands with Rinoa. "That honeymoon's not so far away..."

"I know," she replied, smiling. She and Trish had gone lingerie shopping for the trip and Rinoa had managed to keep it all hidden from Shane. She wanted to surprise him their first night overseas. "What's the word for _Armageddon?"_

"Triple threat. Jacqueline, Victoria and I."

"Sounds like fun."

"I'll get my title back eventually," Trish replied with a smile. She had already had three championship reigns since the _Royal Rumble. _Victoria seemed to be her toughest advesary yet."And when that time comes, Victoria can't touch me." Rinoa smiled. "Do you know what you're doing at _Armageddon?"_

"I am getting injured. That's all I know," Rinoa replied with a laugh. "Vince wants to write me off TV so I can run away with my husband." Trish laughed. "I have to admit, this vacation is something that I need."

"How long has it been since your last vacation?" Trish inquired. Rinoa thought about it.

"Last summer...but I don't know if we can really consider police profiling and therapy a vacation." Trish nodded. She could see something flash in Rinoa's eyes.

"You and Shane don't talk about it anymore, do you?" Rinoa shook her head.

"No. We have to move forward," Rinoa replied. "We can't keep moving back to that. When we do that, he wins, you know?" Trish nodded. Rinoa shook her head. She didn't want to carry the thoughts around in her head for the rest of the night. "Anyways, how was your week?"

"Fine. My throat's finally quit hurting," Trish replied with a soft laugh.

"How's Charles, do you know?"

"He's fine," Trish said with a laugh. "He's a tough referee." Rinoa nodded. "Anyways, I've got to go do some sort of segment with Victoria. I'll talk to you later." Rinoa nodded.

"Bye, Trish." Rinoa smiled and watched her friend disappear down the hall. Rinoa took a deep breath and made her way back towards the Divas locker room.


	34. Divas Night Out

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Divas Night Out**

Eden's Club was in full swing by the time the ladies arrived. Victoria, Stacy Keibler, Terri Runnels, Trish Stratus, Jacqueline, Jazz, Molly Holly, Ivory, and Rinoa all filed in, excited to just have a night out together. There was some tension between Trish and Victoria and Stacy and Rinoa stemming back to her bailing Kurt Angle out of prison, but the Divas all agreed that what was needed was just a big girl's night out.

They took their seats at the table, the guys in the club stopping to stare at the Divas. It wasn't every day when the Raw Divas invaded a nightclub together. Trish was dressed in a tight white halter dress, her hair tousled and teased. She ordered a Cosmopolitan. With a dep smile, the waiter took the order down.

Jazz intimidated the waiter by her sheer size, but she looked great. She was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans with a black spaghetti strapped top, her curly brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She ordered a beer. A Guinness.

Terri was shamelessly flirting with the waiter, who obviously didn't find her attractive. She was dressed in a black minidress with a plunging neckline that showed off every bone and a lot of breast. She ordered a Cosmopolitan as well, winking at the waiter, who looked absolutely repulsed. Rinoa had to admit that she was repulsed; Terri had a six year old daughter, and flirting with random waiters and guys at the bar just made her twitch.

Molly Holly was dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, her hair back in a low ponytail. She ordered a virgin pina colada. The waiter seemed smitten with her, and Rinoa was even surprised that she flirted back a little bit. Trish and Rinoa exchanged glances, Trish cocking an eyebrow. It was nice to see Molly too loosen up a little bit.

Stacy had dressed in a blue denim miniskirt and a black button down shirt, her hair brushed down around her face. She ordered a margarita. She tried flirting a bit with the waiter, but it was obvious he had his eye on Molly.

Ivory had dressed in a leopard print vinyl minidress, her brown hair down around her face. She ordered herself a glass of red wine, and excused herself to the restroom. Rinoa wondered for a second just how she had managed to fit herself in the dress. Even though Ivory was built athletic and had a great body, the dress still seemed two sizes too small.

Jacqueline had dressed in a thick green velvet minidress, her long braids tied back in a low ponytail. She ordered a beer before returning to her talk with Stacy. She was trying to teach her a few things about being in the ring. Stacy had already been in the company for a year, and Jacqueline felt that she needed to know more about being in the ring.

Victoria had dressed in a hot pink midriff baring top, a wide hole in the middle exposing some cleavage and a black miniskirt. She ordered herself a rum and Coke and went back to talking with Molly Holly. The two of them were especially close because Molly had trained Victoria for her in-ring debut. Regardless of what Rinoa could say about the Divas, they had their faults like any other person, Victoria and Molly were two of the best competitors she had ever seen.

"What about you, miss?"

"Huh?" Rinoa looked over at the waiter.

"You haven't ordered yet." Rinoa shook her head.

"Oh, right." She smirked. "I would love a strawberry daquiri. Double the liquor." The girls all let out a "ooh". Rinoa laughed. "I'm out for a girl's night!" The waiter flashed Molly a wink and he disappeared back towards the bar.

"He was so checking you out," Stacy told Molly. Molly laughed.

"Come on..."

"Stacy's right," Jazz agreed. "Girl, he's hot. You had better hit that up."

"Total step up from Spike and Hurricane," Victoria announced. Molly reddened and the girls laughed. "When he's off, you should totally hit him up for a dance."

Molly shook her head, but a wide smile was on her face. Rinoa spoke. "I spoke to Lita yesterday."

"Really?" Stacy asked. "How is she?" Lita had been doing a guest appearance on a Fox TV show, _Dark Angel_, and had suffered a broken neck as the result of an accident executing a hurracanrana. She had already been out for a few months, undergoing neck fusion surgery.

"She's doing good. She's healing very well. She's already itching to get back in the ring."

"That's good to hear. Does anyone know what happened exactly?" Ivory asked, sliding back into her seat. Rinoa nodded.

"I guess Jessica Alba's stunt double dropped her on her neck. Anyone who does lucha knows it's about catching and throwing and carrying the athlete. So she dropped her, and Lita landed on her head." The waiter returned with their drinks.

"What's your name?" Stacy asked him. He looked at her, a blush crossing his face.

"Shaun." Rinoa smiled.

"What time are you off shift, Shaun?" she asked him. He caught eyes with Molly.

"One."

"What's the time?" Victoria asked Stacy. Stacy smiled and checked her watch.

"Quarter to."

Rinoa smiled. "How about when you're off shift, you come join us for a drink?" Molly blushed and went to speak, but one look from Victoria kept her from speaking. He smiled.

"I would love to," he said. The girls took their drinks and he disappeared.

"Fifteen minutes and he's all yours, Molly," Victoria taunted. Molly blushed.

"Guys! Lay off on her," Terri laughed. "She's going to die before he gets here if you don't."

"So, Noa, we hear your honeymoon is coming up," Jazz said, sipping on her drink. Rinoa nodded.

"Yeah. We're heading over to Japan in January. We're doing a presentation and then we're taking a week to have a honeymoon."

"How long have you two been married now?" Terri asked.

"Coming up on a year," Rinoa replied, sipping on her drink. She grimaced at the strong alcoholic taste. It would fade off within the next few sips.

"And how is married life with Shane O'Mac?" Stacy asked with a smile on her face as she sipped her drink. Rinoa shot her a smug smile.

"It's terrific, Stacy," she said. "He's always there for me when I need him."

"Have you ever thought about taking the name McMahon out in the ring?" Jazz asked. Rinoa shook her head.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" Molly asked.

"I worked hard to get where I am," Rinoa replied. "I'd hate for anyone to think I'm using the name 'McMahon' to get ahead." The girls understood her logic. "I try not to throw it around backstage either, but it doesn't stop a few people from taunting me with it."

"Do you ever talk to Shane about it?" Trish asked. Rinoa nodded.

"Sure I do. But that's what they taunt me with. Before Hardcore went out with his neck, I went to him about being such a prick to Orton. He actually taunted me. 'Oh, what – you going to tattle to your husband?" The girls shook their heads in disgust.

"He's a jerk anyways," Ivory replied.

"What is up with you and Orton, anyways?" Stacy asked. The table went silent. They knew that Stacy was always trying to goad Rinoa into something. She still hadn't given up whatever she had felt for Shane. Molly and Victoria even frowned at Stacy.

"He's a good friend. When he brings Samantha out, Trish and I usually try to take her out."

"Who's Samantha?"

"His girlfriend." The table smiled and laughed at Stacy's expense. Stacy got out of her seat and went into the dance floor to find somebody to dance with. Rinoa shook her head.

"She's still hung up on your husband, huh?" Victoria replied. Rinoa nodded.

"Yeah. Why did we invite her again?"

"It was Terri's idea," Jazz replied with a grimace. Jazz stood to her feet. "Ive, come with. I'm going out to dance." Ivory, Terri and Jacqueline stood and followed her to the floor. Rinoa ordered another drink. She knew by the time the waiter came back, she would be finished her drink.

"So where is Shane-O tonight?" Trish inquired.

"Off at some bar with the guys," Rinoa replied. "He's having a guys night out, we're having a Divas night out."

"Don't you two ever have a night out together?"

"Not when we're on the road," Rinoa confessed. "It's rare that we go out together after the shows these days."

"Doesn't that drive you nuts?"

"What? No," she replied. "I'm married to him. As a married couple, we need our space every now and then. Too much time together isn't always very good." Trish smiled.

"You guys seem to have it all figured out," Victoria remarked. Rinoa laughed.

"If I had my way, I'd be with him every moment," Rinoa replied with a smile. "But I know he and I have to have our time together and our time apart."

"You are still so in love with him," Molly laughed. "So cute." Rinoa smiled. The clock struck one and the waiter made his way through the bar. The Divas looked at one another and decided to leave the table, to give Molly some time with the waiter.


	35. Heading Home

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Heading Home**

Shane and Rinoa settled into their seats on the airplane, both relieved to be heading home. Shane was pretty sure he was suffering from a mild case of alcohol poisoning, while Rinoa was hung over. It seemed like they had been out drinking every night that week. _Armageddon_ was in four days; a three stages of hell match was sanctioned between Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and Rinoa knew that she was more or less ready to move on from that feud.

They buckled their seatbelts and Rinoa rested her head on Shane's shoulder. "How are you feeling this morning?" Shane asked her softly.

"Trish Stratus is a bad influence," Rinoa murmured. Shane chuckled. "You?"

"I'm a bad influence." Rinoa laughed. "I don't think Orton's standing right now." The plane began to take off. She kept her head on his shoulder. He smiled. She was having a bit more of a life lately, and he had to admit that he loved it. He hated watching her go from show to show, just to go back to the hotel and wait for him to come back. He was still normally out later than she was, but it was nice to know that she wasn't leaving just to go back to the hotel room and go to bed. "I heard you Divas hooked Molly up."

"She's talking back and forth with this waiter we met on Monday," she replied. "You should have seen it. All these Divas were falling over this guy and he was just looking at Molly."

"Terri, too?"

"Oh, God, that was pathetic," she murmured softly. "The guy is probably old enough to be a kid of hers, but she was still hanging all over him." Shane laughed.

"Terri's always been like that." Shane smiled. "Since her divorce from Goldust, she's been trying to latch onto everything." Rinoa smiled. "I love you," he whispered.

"Love you, too," she told him, "but hush now. I need sleep." Shane chuckled and rested his head on top of theirs. They fell asleep, trying to get the liquor out of their system.

Shane pulled the car to a stop and Rinoa stirred in the passenger's side. She'd been dozing on and off through the entire trip. He killed the ignition and stared over at her. She looked beautiful, but she was pretty pale. It was obvious that she was going to get sick eventually. She was fighting it. Shane had already been sick twice on the plane and once when they had landed. It was the price he paid for partying so much. Rinoa was worried about him, had even offered to drive, but Shane had been insistent that he was fine. It was nothing some Tylenol and a lot of water and sleep couldn't fix. He'd been down the road several times before, and knew just what it would take to feel better. Rinoa leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked. He sighed.

"I need some rest," he replied. He opened the door and climbed out of the car. Rinoa climbed out of the car. He shrugged. "I'll grab our bags...after sleep." Rinoa laughed and he draped his arm around her, leading her towards the front door.

"Aren't we something...two alcoholics," she murmured. Shane chuckled and unlocked the door. Closing the door behind them, they made their way up the stairs, carelessly shedding their clothing down the hallway. Rinoa and Shane made their way into the bathroom and took a Tylenol and drank some water before making their way into the bedroom and passing out on the bed.

Rinoa awoke a few hours later, her head still pounding, but not as bad as it was a few hours before. She stared into her sleeping husband's face. He looked so peaceful. They were both dressed in their underwear. Rinoa chuckled as she saw a pair of jeans out in the hallway. She sat up slowly, still feeling a tad nauseous and got out of bed, grabbing her robe off of the edge of the bed. She draped it around herself and made her way downstairs. She thought about starting dinner while Shane slept. She knew he needed his rest; he partied just as hard as he worked. He had been sick almost every night; sometimes his competitive nature just got the best of him.

Stepping into the kitchen, Rinoa began to gather things to make dinner. She thought about chicken breasts with Caesar salad and a baked potato. She set about making dinner, thinking about Shane sleeping upstairs. They were both excited about the honeymoon. Shane needed the break just as much as she did. He wasn't happy about having to leave his work behind, but Vince had told him after the presentation that the initials WWE weren't even allowed to leave his lips. After the presentation, it became a business-free trip. The two of them knew it was going to be impossible; they still loved the business so very much that they were going to wind up talking about it. After all, they couldn't leave it behind completely. But the idea of being in Japan with Shane for a week and not having to worry about what's going on behind the scenes was exciting Rinoa.

The lingerie shopping with Trish had been great; she had picked out a lot of things that Shane was going to see on the trip. She had also heard about the floating market in Japan, and she couldn't wait to check it out. She'd been over to Japan before; back when she had just started with WCW. But she hadn't had the time to just go and take in the sights. That was the only drawback for all the travel. The lack of time to really enjoy it.

Shane awakened to the smell of food, and as great as it smelled, it also made him feel pretty queasy. He sighed; one of these days he was going to hospitalize himself from all the drinking. He probably should have been in the hospital the night before; he had been so sick, Rinoa was afraid he was dying. He was sure he was. He sat up slowly from the bed and grabbed his robe. He didn't have the energy to get dressed. Exiting the bedroom, he made his way into the bathroom to take another Tylenol. He wondered what time it was; how long had he been sleeping for? And when had Rinoa woken up? He was a little disappointed that she was gone by the time he had woken up, but the smell of dinner told him that she was more than likely hungry.

Shane made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Rinoa was standing with her back to him, the silk pink robe draped over her frame. He spotted the Caesar salad on the counter and put it quietly on the table. He made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck. She smiled.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly. Her eyes closed as she felt his lips against her neck.

"I've felt better," he confessed. "Dinner smells great."

"Are you going to be okay to eat?" she asked. He nodded.

"Probably not, but I'm going to eat anyways," he said. "I'm starved." She turned to face him and examined him closely. His eyes were a little red rimmed from the lack of sleep and his skin was pale, almost like porcelain. It was clear he was really sick. He probably should have gone to the hospital the night before, but he had assured her that he was fine and he'd been that sick before. She had been reluctant to believe it, but she had spent the night beside him, keeping cold cloths on his face and keeping him sleeping on his side in case he got sick in his sleep. Rinoa sighed, giving him a soft kiss. She was glad he was all right. She silently told herself that there would be no drinking on their honeymoon.


	36. Armageddon

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks again for following with book three. Book four will be posted tonight. This is the last chapter.**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Armageddon**

Maven's music started and he made his way through the curtain with a glowering Molly Holly. _Armageddon_ had just started, and the mixed tag team match was starting the show. The fans were catcalling at Molly and Maven, who both just brushed it off and made their way into the ring. Molly sat on the middle rope to let Maven into the ring before climbing into the ring. They stood in the center, listening to the fans voice their displeasure with them, as they waited for the music to fade.

Randy's music started and he walked out with Rinoa, who was dressed in a pair of black bell bottoms and a black glittering tank top, wrist bands on her wrists and elbow pads covering her elbows. Her hair was in low pigtails. She and Randy were talking excitedly down the ramp, laughing and joking about their respective nights of drinking. To make a point, Randy sat on the middle rope and allowed Rinoa to enter the ring. She smiled at the crowd, but had no time to showboat as Molly and Maven began to attack Randy and Rinoa. Referee Jack Doan had the bell rang quickly and within minutes Randy and Maven were out of the ring, standing on their respective corners while Rinoa and Molly battled it out.

Molly whipped Rinoa into the ropes and Rinoa bounded back, catching Molly with a headscissors takedown. She stood to her feet and beckoned for Molly to come at her. When Molly stood, she charged at Rinoa, who hit her with an armdrag. Randy and Maven were cheering on their respective Divas. Molly and Rinoa were two of the best technical wrestlers on the roster and they were picking up the pace, garnering the fans' interest in the match.

The turning point came when Molly whipped Rinoa into the ropes and they collided heads, both Divas going down. Rinoa could feel something warm pouring down her head, and she was dazed. She couldn't quite remember where she was. She rolled over onto her stomach and saw Randy staring at her in concern, his arm outstretched. Molly looked a little hazy, but fine nonetheless. She crawled herself slowly over to Randy and hit his hand as Molly hit Maven's. Rinoa rolled out of the way as the two men charged at each other. She brought her fingers to her forehead and brought them in front of her eyes. She was amazed to see blood on her fingertips. She grabbed the bottom rope and slowly brought herself back up to her feet. She could barely stand, and she could see Randy constantly shooting her concerned glances every time he was sure Maven was down for a few minutes. She knew that he was worried about whether or not she'd be able to keep up her end when the big spot came.

He tagged Rinoa in when he tagged Molly and the two Divas went at it. But it was clear that Rinoa wasn't with her in the match. There was a thin trickle of blood that had weaved its way down the side of Rinoa's face. Molly looked concerned, but both Divas were veterans and knew how to make it seem like nothing had gone wrong. But one look at Rinoa and Molly knew she wasn't going to remember it in the morning.

The big spot came at the end when Maven tried to interfere. He lunged at Randy, who lunged back with a hard clothesline. Maven ducked it, and Rinoa was hit, hard. She took another hard bump to the head and this time she didn't move. Randy was stricken with fear for a second, but Maven rolled him up for the three count. Maven and Molly rolled out of the ring, but Randy didn't care. He quickly made his way over to Rinoa. He had knocked her right out.

"Jesus Christ, they collided good."

"When is she going to wake up, Doc?"

"Be patient. It could be any minute."

Rinoa's eyes fluttered open and she saw Shane and Randy standing over her, both looking terrified. "Noa, are you all right?" Randy asked.

"My head hurts," she murmured. "And I feel kind of hot..."

"Dr. Rios wants to take a look at you, Noa," Shane told her gently, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "After that, we can go back to the hotel..."

"Shane...I think I'm going to be sick..." Dr. Rios handed her an ice cream bucket and she vomited. "Fuck," she murmured as he lit a small flashlight in her eyes and took a look at each one. He shut it off.

"She definitely has a concussion. I wouldn't be surprised if that meeting of the minds she had with Molly gave it to her...but your clothesline didn't help, Orton." Randy sighed.

"He feels bad enough," Rinoa murmured, "Don't rag on him too much." Randy shot her a look of relief and she flashed him a soft smile. She looked over at Shane. "I'm okay, Shane. Don't worry so much." He nodded. He helped her off of the table. "Can I go, Dr. Rios?"

"Yeah. Take it easy tonight." Shane draped an arm over her shoulders and led her out.

"You sure Vince is fine with you leaving early?"

"For the last time, Noa, yes. Dad is the one who sent me home." Shane shook his head. "How are you feeling, beautiful?"

"It's not my first concussion...probably won't be my last," she replied. He led her into the hotel room, holding their bags. He dropped them by the door and she made her way over to the bed. Her head hurt, and she wanted to sleep, but she was afraid to sleep.

Shane dug through her bag and pulled out an ivy green nightie. She was seated on the bed, fading in and out of coherence. Shane was worried about her; he knew he wasn't going to get an ounce of sleep until he made sure that she was all right. He made his way over to her and stood her up. "Shane..."

"Shh...we'll get you into your pajamas, and then we'll let you get some sleep." She nodded and raised her arms when told so he could slip her shirt off. She was still in her ring gear and she knew she probably looked like hell, but Shane didn't seem to care. He helped her out of her clothing and placed the nightie on over her head. He pulled back the covers and settled her into bed. He pulled the covers up and quickly climbed in beside her, bringing her into his arms. He turned on the TV quietly as she drifted off on his chest. He vowed to himself he'd stay awake for her. She was officially off television now; for the next week, she was going to need all the rest she could get.


End file.
